9.5 KiB
9.5 KiB
Greeting Reference Guide
Complete reference for greetings across languages and cultures.
Table of Contents
- Supported Languages
- Formality Levels
- Time-Based Greetings
- Cultural Contexts
- Pronunciation Guide
- Common Phrases
Supported Languages
English
Region: Global, primarily US, UK, Australia, Canada
Common Greetings:
- Hello
- Hi
- Hey
- Good morning/afternoon/evening
- How are you?
- How's it going?
Formality:
- Formal: "Good day", "Greetings", "Dear Sir/Madam"
- Casual: "Hey", "What's up", "Howdy"
- Professional: "Good morning", "Hello [Name]"
中文 (Chinese)
Region: China, Taiwan, Singapore
Common Greetings:
- 你好 (nǐ hǎo) - Hello [casual]
- 您好 (nín hǎo) - Hello [formal]
- 早上好 (zǎo shang hǎo) - Good morning
- 下午好 (xià wǔ hǎo) - Good afternoon
- 晚上好 (wǎn shang hǎo) - Good evening
- 晚安 (wǎn ān) - Good night
Formality:
- Formal: 尊敬的 (zūn jìng de) - Respected/Dear
- Casual: 嗨 (hāi), 哈喽 (hā lou)
- Professional: 您好 (nín hǎo)
Cultural Notes:
- Use 您 (nín) for elders and superiors
- Common to ask "吃了吗？" (Have you eaten?) as a greeting
- Handshakes are common in business settings
日本語 (Japanese)
Region: Japan
Common Greetings:
- おはようございます (ohayō gozaimasu) - Good morning [formal]
- こんにちは (konnichiwa) - Hello/Good afternoon
- こんばんは (konbanwa) - Good evening
- おやすみなさい (oyasuminasai) - Good night
- はじめまして (hajimemashite) - Nice to meet you
Formality:
- Formal: ございます (gozaimasu) ending
- Casual: おはよう (ohayō), やあ (yā)
- Professional: お疲れ様です (otsukaresama desu) - Thank you for your hard work
Cultural Notes:
- Bowing is standard when greeting
- Use さん (san) after names (honorific)
- Time-specific greetings are important
- Never use first names unless very close
Español (Spanish)
Region: Spain, Latin America
Common Greetings:
- ¡Hola! (OH-lah) - Hello
- Buenos días (BWEH-nos DEE-ahs) - Good morning
- Buenas tardes (BWEH-nas TAR-des) - Good afternoon
- Buenas noches (BWEH-nas NOH-ches) - Good evening/night
- ¿Qué tal? (keh TAHL) - How's it going?
- ¿Cómo estás? (KOH-moh es-TAHS) - How are you?
Formality:
- Formal: Estimado/a (esteemed), Buenos días
- Casual: ¡Hola!, ¿Qué tal?, ¡Buenas!
- Professional: Buenos días, Don/Doña [Name]
Cultural Notes:
- Cheek kissing common in social settings (varies by region)
- Use "usted" for formal, "tú" for casual
- Handshakes common in business
Français (French)
Region: France, Belgium, Canada (Quebec), Switzerland, parts of Africa
Common Greetings:
- Bonjour (bon-ZHOOR) - Hello/Good day
- Bonsoir (bon-SWAHR) - Good evening
- Salut (sa-LOO) - Hi [casual]
- Enchanté(e) (on-shon-TAY) - Pleased to meet you
- Ça va? (sa VAH) - How's it going?
Formality:
- Formal: Bonjour Madame/Monsieur, Enchanté(e)
- Casual: Salut, Coucou, Ça va?
- Professional: Bonjour, Madame/Monsieur [Last Name]
Cultural Notes:
- La bise (cheek kissing) common in France
- Use "vous" for formal, "tu" for casual
- Always say "Bonjour" before other conversation
Deutsch (German)
Region: Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Common Greetings:
- Guten Morgen (GOO-ten MOR-gen) - Good morning
- Guten Tag (GOO-ten TAHK) - Good day
- Guten Abend (GOO-ten AH-bent) - Good evening
- Hallo (HAH-loh) - Hello
- Grüß Gott (GRUESS got) - Hello [Southern Germany/Austria]
Formality:
- Formal: Sehr geehrter Herr/Frau
- Casual: Hallo, Hi, Servus
- Professional: Guten Tag, Herr/Frau [Last Name]
한국어 (Korean)
Region: South Korea, North Korea
Common Greetings:
- 안녕하세요 (an-nyeong-ha-se-yo) - Hello [formal]
- 안녕 (an-nyeong) - Hi [casual]
- 좋은 아침입니다 (jo-eun a-chim-im-ni-da) - Good morning
- 처음 뵙겠습니다 (cheo-eum boep-get-seum-ni-da) - Nice to meet you
Formality:
- Formal: 하세요 (ha-se-yo) ending
- Casual: 안녕 (an-nyeong)
- Professional: 님 (nim) honorific
Formality Levels
Formal
When to use:
- First meetings with clients/superiors
- Official business correspondence
- Elderly people or authority figures
- Formal events and ceremonies
Characteristics:
- Complete sentences
- Titles and honorifics
- Respectful language
- Proper grammar
Examples:
- English: "Dear Mr. Smith, I hope this letter finds you well."
- Chinese: "尊敬的王先生" (Respected Mr. Wang)
- Japanese: "お世話になっております" (Thank you for your continued support)
Casual
When to use:
- Friends and peers
- Informal social settings
- Family members
- Familiar colleagues
Characteristics:
- Shortened phrases
- Slang acceptable
- Relaxed tone
- First names
Examples:
- English: "Hey! What's up?"
- Chinese: "嗨！最近怎么样？" (Hi! How have you been lately?)
- Spanish: "¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?"
Professional
When to use:
- Business meetings
- Email correspondence
- Networking events
- Office environment
Characteristics:
- Polite but not overly formal
- Respectful
- Clear and direct
- Appropriate for workplace
Examples:
- English: "Good morning, Sarah"
- Chinese: "早上好，李经理" (Good morning, Manager Li)
- Japanese: "おはようございます、田中さん" (Good morning, Tanaka-san)
Time-Based Greetings
Morning (5 AM - 12 PM)
- English: Good morning
- Chinese: 早上好 (zǎo shang hǎo)
- Japanese: おはようございます (ohayō gozaimasu)
- Spanish: Buenos días
- French: Bonjour
- German: Guten Morgen
Afternoon (12 PM - 5 PM)
- English: Good afternoon
- Chinese: 下午好 (xià wǔ hǎo)
- Japanese: こんにちは (konnichiwa)
- Spanish: Buenas tardes
- French: Bon après-midi
- German: Guten Tag
Evening (5 PM - 9 PM)
- English: Good evening
- Chinese: 晚上好 (wǎn shang hǎo)
- Japanese: こんばんは (konbanwa)
- Spanish: Buenas noches
- French: Bonsoir
- German: Guten Abend
Night (9 PM - 5 AM)
- English: Good night
- Chinese: 晚安 (wǎn ān)
- Japanese: おやすみなさい (oyasuminasai)
- Spanish: Buenas noches
- French: Bonne nuit
- German: Gute Nacht
Cultural Contexts
Business Meetings
Best Practices:
- Arrive on time (or early in some cultures)
- Use formal greetings initially
- Business cards exchange (especially in Asia)
- Firm handshake (Western cultures)
- Bow (Japan, Korea)
- Research cultural norms beforehand
Sample Greetings:
- "Good morning, thank you for taking the time to meet with me."
- "您好，很高兴见到您。" (Hello, pleased to meet you.)
- "おはようございます。本日はお時間をいただきありがとうございます。"
Email Communication
Structure:
- Greeting
- Brief pleasantry (optional)
- Purpose
- Closing
Examples:
Dear [Name],
I hope this email finds you well.
I am writing to discuss...
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Social Events
Characteristics:
- Warmer, more personal
- Small talk encouraged
- Smile and eye contact
- Appropriate physical contact (culture-dependent)
Cultural Holidays
- Chinese New Year: 新年快乐！恭喜发财！
- Ramadan: Ramadan Kareem / رمضان كريم
- Christmas: Merry Christmas / Joyeux Noël
- Diwali: Happy Diwali / दिवाली की शुभकामनाएं
Pronunciation Guide
Pinyin (Chinese)
- ā, á, ǎ, à - Different tones (flat, rising, falling-rising, falling)
- zh - like 'j' in "jump"
- x - like 'sh' in "she"
- q - like 'ch' in "cheer"
Romanization (Japanese)
- Vowels: a(ah), i(ee), u(oo), e(eh), o(oh)
- Long vowels indicated by macron: ō, ū
- Double consonants indicate pause
Spanish
- j - like 'h' in "hot"
- ll - like 'y' in "yes"
- ñ - like 'ny' in "canyon"
- r - rolled r sound
- rr - strongly rolled r
Common Phrases
Introducing Yourself
- English: "Nice to meet you. My name is..."
- Chinese: "很高兴认识您。我叫..." (hěn gāo xìng rèn shi nín. wǒ jiào...)
- Japanese: "はじめまして。[Name]と申します。" (hajimemashite. [Name] to mōshimasu.)
- Spanish: "Mucho gusto. Me llamo..."
Asking How Someone Is
- English: "How are you?"
- Chinese: "你好吗？" (nǐ hǎo ma?)
- Japanese: "お元気ですか？" (o-genki desu ka?)
- Spanish: "¿Cómo está?"
Responding
- English: "I'm well, thank you"
- Chinese: "我很好，谢谢" (wǒ hěn hǎo, xiè xie)
- Japanese: "元気です、ありがとうございます" (genki desu, arigatō gozaimasu)
- Spanish: "Estoy bien, gracias"
Goodbye
- English: "Goodbye", "See you later"
- Chinese: "再见" (zài jiàn), "回头见" (huí tóu jiàn)
- Japanese: "さようなら" (sayōnara), "また後で" (mata ato de)
- Spanish: "Adiós", "Hasta luego"
Best Practices
- Research Cultural Norms: Always research greeting customs before international interactions
- Mirror Formality: Match the formality level of the person you're greeting
- Use Names Appropriately: Some cultures use first names, others use titles and last names
- Be Time-Aware: Use appropriate greetings for time of day
- Respect Personal Space: Physical contact varies widely across cultures
- Learn Pronunciation: Make an effort to pronounce names and greetings correctly
- Smile: Generally universal and well-received
- Follow Their Lead: When unsure, follow the lead of locals or hosts