Farsi Greetings: How to Say Hello in Farsi
Learn how to say hello in Farsi with this guide to Persian greetings. Covers formal, informal, and time-based greetings with pronunciation tips.
Thomas van Welsenes
Founder of Learn Farsi
The Most Common Farsi Greeting
The most universal greeting in Farsi is سلام (salaam). It means "hello" or "peace" and works in every situation, whether you're greeting a friend, a shopkeeper, or meeting someone for the first time.
Salaam is borrowed from Arabic and is understood across the entire Persian-speaking world. You can never go wrong with it.
For a more formal version, say سلام علیکم (salaam aleykum), meaning "peace be upon you." The response is علیکم السلام (aleykum as-salaam), "and peace be upon you too."
Formal Greetings
In formal settings, Iranians use greetings that show extra respect.
- درود (dorood) is a purely Persian word for "hello" or "greetings." Some people prefer it over the Arabic-origin salaam.
- سلام علیکم (salaam aleykum) is used in religious or very formal contexts.
- حال شما چطوره؟ (haal-e shoma chetoreh?) means "How are you?" using the formal "you" (shoma).
- خوش آمدید (khosh amadid) means "Welcome" and is used when receiving guests.
Formal greetings are important in professional settings and when speaking with elders. Understanding taarof (Persian politeness) helps you use these naturally.
Informal Greetings
With friends and people your age, Farsi greetings become more relaxed.
- سلام (salaam) is still the go-to.
- چطوری؟ (chetori?) is the informal "How are you?" using "to" (you, casual).
- خوبی؟ (khoobi?) means "Are you good?" and is very common among friends.
- چه خبر؟ (che khabar?) means "What's the news?" similar to English "What's up?"
Responses are simple. خوبم، ممنون (khoobam, mamnoon) means "I'm good, thanks." بد نیستم (bad nistam) means "Not bad."
Time-Based Greetings
Like English, Farsi has greetings tied to the time of day.
- صبح بخیر (sobh bekheyr) means "Good morning."
- ظهر بخیر (zohr bekheyr) means "Good afternoon."
- عصر بخیر (asr bekheyr) means "Good evening."
- شب بخیر (shab bekheyr) means "Good night."
These are used alongside salaam, not instead of it. You might say "salaam, sobh bekheyr" (hello, good morning) when greeting someone in the morning.
Practice these greetings with our daily practice sessions to make them second nature.
Goodbye in Farsi
Knowing how to say goodbye is just as important.
- خداحافظ (khodahafez) is the standard goodbye, meaning "God protect you."
- خدانگهدار (khodanegahdar) is an alternative with the same meaning.
- به امید دیدار (be omid-e didar) means "Hope to see you again" and is used in more formal farewells.
- فعلاً (fe'lan) means "For now" and is a casual way to say "See you later."
These greetings are some of the first words you'll use in real conversations. For more essential phrases, check out our 50 common Farsi phrases, and start building your vocabulary with structured lessons.
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