10+ Common German Greetings
Here's our list of the most common German greetings. You most likely already know 'Hallo', but there are quite a few more words & phrases that you can use to greet someone, depending on the context & time of the day.
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.
