10+ Common German Greetings

This post is about greetings in German. Let's start with Hallo and work our day through casual greetings, formal ways to say hello and then, lastly, look at the quirky ways to say hello up north and down south.

PS: That's Moin in the north and Grüß Gott & Servus in the south. Enjoy 🎉.

Common German Greetings

Greetings are an essential part of any language, and German is no exception. In this post, we will explore 12 common German greetings, including formal and informal options. We will also explain when and how to use each greeting, as well as provide example sentences in the form of the following

1. Hallo

This is the most common informal greeting in German, similar to "hi" or "hello" in English. Use it with friends, family, and acquaintances.

2. Guten Morgen

Guten Morgen & Guten Abend are semi-formal ways to greet someone in the morning & evening, respectively. They're the equivalents to "good morning" and "good evening" in English.

Guten Tag is another variation that you can use throughout the whole day:

3. Tschüss

Tschüss is a casual way to say "bye" in German, similar to "bye" or "see you later" in English.

4. Auf Wiedersehen

Auf Wiedersehen is a more formal way to say "goodbye" in German, similar to "goodbye" in English. You can use it in professional or polite situations.

5. Grüß Gott

Grüß Gott is a traditional greeting in southern Germany and Austria, similar to "hello" in English.

6. Moin

This is a casual way to say "hello" in Northern Germany, similar to "hi" or "hey" in English.

7. Servus

This is a casual way to say "hello" or "hi" in Bavaria and Austria. It is also used as a casual goodbye.