15 Unique Ways to Say Hello in Russian

Learn Russian With NaTakallam

From slang to professional greetings, this article will have you prepared to greet any Russian speaker you encounter.

Learn 14 ways to greet someone in Russian and use more natural expressions for your next Russian class or meetup with a Russian-speaking friend.

1. Privet (Привет)
   This is the most basic Russian greeting, simply meaning “hello.” This is an informal way to address anyone from friends to family members, and has the same usage as “hi” or “hey.” The response is usually the same back, but you can also mix it up with any of the other greetings below!

2. Zdravstvuite (Здравствуйте)
   This is the formal version of “hello” and can be used in any situation from a doctor’s office to a day out shopping. Note that because of the formality, you would not use this with friends. In fact, this word is actually plural, meaning it can be used to greet a group of people or just a single person to whom you wish to show respect.

3. Dobroe utro/den/vecher (Доброе утро/день/вечер)
   This greeting structure is based on the time of day you are using it. Just as with the English “good morning/afternoon/evening,” dobroe(доброе) means “good,” and the second word designates the time of day.

4. Zdorovo (Здорoво)
   This greeting, literally meaning “health,” is an informal greeting that can be used to say “hey” to good friends.

5. Privetik (Привeтик!)
   This informal greeting is a diminutive or “cute” form of the basic privet (привет).

6. Hello (Хеллo) and Hey (Хaй)
   These casual greetings are popular among young people and are frequently used online.

7. Yo! (Йо!)
   This is another greeting that is likely familiar to English speakers. Yo (йо) is a very colloquial way to say “hi” to your close friends.

8. Privyetstvuyu (Привeтствую) and Privyetstvuyu vas (Привeтствую вас)
   This formal greeting literally means “I am greeting you.”

9. Allo (Алло) / Alyo (Алё) / Ello (Элло)
   These words, meaning “hello,” are used only while answering the phone.

10. Privet, tovarish (Привет, товарищ)
    This phrase, meaning, “Hello, comrade,” has Soviet roots and is slightly out of fashion in modern contexts.

11. Kak dela? (Как дела?)
    This phrase literally translates to “How are your affairs?” but has the meaning of a casual “Hey, how are you?”

12. Dobro pozhalovat (Добро пожаловать)
    This greeting, meaning “welcome,” will be found at the entrance of any city or region in Russia.

13. S priyezdom (С приездом)
    You are likely to be greeted with this phrase after a long journey.

14. Salam aleykum (Салáм алéйкум)
    If you are a speaker of Arabic, this greeting is likely to be familiar. Meaning “Peace be upon you.”

15. Skol’ko let, skol’ko zim! (Сколько лет, сколько зим!)
    This colorful phrase as a greeting, which means “How many summers, how many winters?” signifying it has been a long time since you have last seen each other.