Hello
مَرْحَبًا
marḥaban
Hello.
Hello in Arabic, marhaban, ahlan and salam
The plain Arabic for hello is marhaban (مَرْحَبًا), and for hi, ahlan (أَهْلًا). Here is how to reply to each, with the forms for a man, a woman or a group, and the greeting Muslims use everywhere.
Saying it to
Other ways to say it
Hi
أَهْلًا
ahlan
Hi.
Hello and welcome
أَهْلًا وَسَهْلًا
ahlan wa sahlan
Hello and welcome. Warm, and used everywhere.
Hello, how are you?
to a man
مَرْحَبًا، كَيْفَ حَالُكَ؟
marḥaban, kayfa ḥāluka?
to a woman
مَرْحَبًا، كَيْفَ حَالُكِ؟
marḥaban, kayfa ḥāluki?
to a group
مَرْحَبًا، كَيْفَ حَالُكُمْ؟
marḥaban, kayfa ḥālukum?
Hello, how are you?
How to reply
Reply to marhabanReply
to a man
مَرْحَبًا بِكَ
marḥaban bika
to a woman
مَرْحَبًا بِكِ
marḥaban biki
to a group
مَرْحَبًا بِكُمْ
marḥaban bikum
Hello to you.
Reply to ahlanReply
to a man
أَهْلًا بِكَ
ahlan bika
to a woman
أَهْلًا بِكِ
ahlan biki
to a group
أَهْلًا بِكُمْ
ahlan bikum
Hi to you.
Modern Standard Arabic, with the vowel marks. Our teachers will check the Arabic and transliteration on this page before launch.
Guide
Hello in Arabic, meaning and use
To say hello in Arabic, say marḥaban (مَرْحَبًا). For a lighter "hi", say ahlan (أَهْلًا), and to make someone feel welcome, say ahlan wa sahlan (أَهْلًا وَسَهْلًا). Muslims, and many other Arabic speakers, also greet with as-salāmu ʿalaykum, "peace be upon you".
What the words mean
Marḥaban comes from the root r-ḥ-b, which carries the sense of wide, open space: you are welcome here, there is room for you. Ahlan comes from ahl, family, and sahlan from sahl, easy, level ground. So ahlan wa sahlan says: you have come to your own people, and your way here is easy.
How to reply
The reply adds "to you": marḥaban bika to a man, marḥaban biki to a woman and marḥaban bikum to a group. The same goes for ahlan: ahlan bika, ahlan biki, ahlan bikum. Many people simply say the greeting back.
The forms at a glance
| Phrase | To a man | To a woman | To a group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello, how are you? | مَرْحَبًا، كَيْفَ حَالُكَ؟ marḥaban, kayfa ḥāluka? | مَرْحَبًا، كَيْفَ حَالُكِ؟ marḥaban, kayfa ḥāluki? | مَرْحَبًا، كَيْفَ حَالُكُمْ؟ marḥaban, kayfa ḥālukum? |
| Reply to marhaban | مَرْحَبًا بِكَ marḥaban bika | مَرْحَبًا بِكِ marḥaban biki | مَرْحَبًا بِكُمْ marḥaban bikum |
| Reply to ahlan | أَهْلًا بِكَ ahlan bika | أَهْلًا بِكِ ahlan biki | أَهْلًا بِكُمْ ahlan bikum |
Hello by time of day
In the morning, say ṣabāḥ al-khayr, and in the afternoon and evening, masāʾ al-khayr. On the phone, many Arabic speakers answer with alū, from the French "allô", and then the salam.
As-salamu alaykum
For Muslims, the greeting taught by the Prophet ﷺ is as-salāmu ʿalaykum. It is a dua for peace, and each part of it carries reward. The reply is wa ʿalaykumus-salām. In Arab countries you will hear it in shops, offices and taxis, as often as marḥaban.
- Sahih Muslim 54, from Abu Hurayrah.
Questions
Good to know
How do you say hello in Arabic?
Marhaban (مَرْحَبًا). Ahlan (أَهْلًا) is a lighter hi, and ahlan wa sahlan means hello and welcome.
How do you reply to marhaban?
Marhaban bika to a man, marhaban biki to a woman, or marhaban bikum to a group: hello to you.
What does ahlan wa sahlan mean?
Roughly: you have come to family, and to easy ground. It means hello and welcome.
Is as-salamu alaykum the same as hello?
It is the Muslim greeting, meaning peace be upon you. It is used like hello across the Arab world, and its reply is wa alaykumus-salam.
How do you say hi in Arabic?
Ahlan (أَهْلًا). In the Gulf you will also hear hala.