Language/Somali/Vocabulary/How-to-Say-Hello-and-Greetings

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🤗 Somali Greetings for Everyday Life

Hi Somali learners! 😃

Do you want to learn how to say “Hello” in Somali?

Somali is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken primarily in Somalia and other parts of the Horn of Africa.

Greetings play an important role in Somali culture, and it is important to know how to say hello and exchange pleasantries when meeting someone for the first time.

Let’s get started! 🤗

Greetings[edit | edit source]

Cultural Insights[edit | edit source]

Somali culture places great emphasis on respect for elders and authority figures. It is common to greet someone with a handshake, and it is considered polite to use formal greetings when addressing someone older or in a position of authority. When greeting someone, it is also customary to inquire about their well-being and their family.

In Somali culture, it is also important to dress modestly and conservatively. Men typically wear a sarong-like garment called a macawis, while women wear a long, loose dress called a dirac. It is also common for women to cover their heads with a scarf called a hijab.

List of Greetings Phrases[edit | edit source]

English	Somali
morning greeting	Subax wanaagsan
afternoon greeting	Galab wanaagsan
evening greeting	Fiid wanaagsan
nighttime greeting	Habeen wanaagsan
general greeting spoken by Muslims	Assalaamu calaykum
reply to Assalaamu calaykum	Calaykum assalaam
informal greeting spoken to a man	Waryaa
how are you?	Iska waran?
how are you?	See tahay?
how are you?	Sidee tahay?
how are you? spoken in the southern region	Nabad miyaa?
how are you? spoken in the northern region [som-nor]	Ma nabad baa?
how are you? spoken in the Benaadir dialect [som-ben]	Nabad ma jirtto?
reply to Iska waran, Ma nabad baa, and Nabad miya	Nabad
reply to Iska waran, Ma nabad baa, and Nabad miya	Nabad iyo caano
reply to Iska waran, Ma nabad baa, and Nabad miya	Waa nabad
reply to Iska waran, See tahay and Sidee tahay	Waan fiicanyahay
reply to Iska waran, See tahay and Sidee tahay	Waa la fiicanyahay
how are you?, literally "what did you tell"	Maxaad sheegtay?
reply to Maxaad sheegtay	Waa la wanaagsanyahay
how are you? in the Abgaal (northern Benaadir) dialect [som-ben]	Xaat sheegtay?
how is everyone? in the Benaadir dialect [som-ben]	Ma la fiicno?
welcome greeting	Soo dhowow
general greeting spoken by Muslims	Assalaamu calaykum
reply to Assalaamu calaykum	Calaykum assalaam
informal greeting spoken to a man	Waryaa