Hello in Turkish: Merhaba Meaning, Selam and Replies

Hello in Turkish is merhaba, pronounced mehr-hah-bah. You can say it at any hour, to anyone, and the reply is merhaba back. Among friends you'll also hear the shorter selam (seh-lahm), which is closer to "hi".

Merhaba is the safe default. Turks also greet by time of day, though, and which one you pick says something about how formal you're being. If the Turkish letters are new to you, the Turkish alphabet and pronunciation guide goes through each one.

What does merhaba mean?

The word comes from Arabic merḥabā, according to the TDK's Güncel Türkçe Sözlük, the Turkish Language Association's dictionary. TDK describes its older sense as a welcome to a guest, roughly "you've come to a spacious, well-kept place, be at ease". Today it just means hello.

Merhaba sits in the middle: neither formal nor casual. Say it to a bank clerk, a neighbour, a child or a room full of colleagues and nobody will blink. To greet several people at once, especially at the top of an email or a group message, Turks write merhabalar.

Turkish greetings by register

Keep selam for friends, classmates and people around your age. TDK traces it to Arabic selām, and it turns up in everyday phrases like Annene selam söyle (Say hi to your mother).

İyi günler and iyi akşamlar do double duty as hello and goodbye. Walk into a shop with iyi günler and there's a good chance you'll hear it again on your way out. İyi geceler (good night) is different: it only works as a goodbye. TDK does list tünaydın for the afternoon, but you could live in Turkey for years and rarely hear it.

Alo comes from French allô and only opens a phone call. If you pick up and already know who's calling, efendim? is the more common answer.

When to use each greeting

• In shops, offices and with officials, use merhaba or iyi günler, then the polite nasılsınız? if you know the person.
• In the morning, günaydın goes to everyone: the whole office, and the family at breakfast.
• With friends, selam, merhaba or naber? (what's up?) all work.
• With older relatives and in religious settings, you'll hear selamünaleyküm, mostly from men and older people. You don't have to say it yourself, but you should know the reply.
• In group chats and emails, write merhabalar or herkese merhaba (hello everyone).

How to reply to hello in Turkish

Two replies are fixed. Someone who says selamünaleyküm expects aleykümselam; answering with merhaba isn't rude, just odd. And **hoş geldiniz always gets hoş bulduk**, which you'll need every time you visit someone's home.

With friends, swap size de for sana da: Günaydın! Sana da günaydın. The difference between polite and familiar "you" is covered in our guide to Turkish greetings and everyday phrases.

Pronunciation tips for English speakers

1. Say the h in merhaba. It's a soft breath between mer and ba. Some people blur it in fast speech, but pronouncing it clearly is never wrong.
2. Tap the Turkish r, like the "tt" in American "better". If you drop it the way British English does in mer, the word loses its shape.
3. ü has no English equivalent. For günaydın, say "ee" and round your lips at the same time.
4. ı sounds like the short vowel in the second syllable of "roses", so günaydın ends in -duhn, never -deen.
5. ş is "sh": akşam is ahk-shahm.

Common mistakes

• Saying iyi geceler when you arrive. It's a night-time goodbye, so arrive with iyi akşamlar instead.
• Greeting an official or someone much older with selam. Merhaba or iyi günler is safer.
• Answering hoş geldiniz with merhaba. The reply is hoş bulduk.
• Keeping günaydın going into the afternoon. After late morning, switch to merhaba or iyi günler.
• Not returning the question. After Nasılsınız?, people expect Siz nasılsınız? back, and leaving it out can come across as cold.

Two short dialogues

Arriving at a neighbour's home:

• Neighbour: Merhaba, hoş geldiniz!
• You: Merhaba, hoş bulduk. Nasılsınız?
• Neighbour: İyiyim, teşekkür ederim. Siz nasılsınız?
• You: Ben de iyiyim, sağ olun.

At the office in the morning:

• Can: Günaydın!
• You: Günaydın! Naber?
• Can: İyi, sen?
• You: İyi, sağ ol.

After hello, you'll want how to say thank you in Turkish. In a shop, the numbers and prices come right after the greeting, and Turkish numbers, time and prices covers those.

Frequently asked questions

What does merhaba mean in English?

Hello. It comes from Arabic and once welcomed a guest, but in modern Turkish it's simply the standard greeting.

Is merhaba formal or informal?

Neither. It fits strangers, colleagues and friends. For a casual "hi", use selam.

How do you reply to merhaba?

With merhaba, usually followed by nasılsınız? (how are you?), or nasılsın? if it's a friend.

How do you say good morning in Turkish?

Günaydın (gew-nai-duhn). The reply is günaydın or size de günaydın.

You'll memorise these greetings in an afternoon. The ü and ı inside them are another matter, and they're much easier to fix when a native speaker hears you say them. Ceylan, who teaches at Turkly, has an MA in Teaching Turkish and can explain in English if you need it. Start with the free level test, then ask for a free 20 to 30 minute trial lesson.