For Learners: 14 Unique Ways to Say Hello in Ukrainian

Hello, hello, everyone!

What a beautiful word “Hello”, isn’t it? Today, you’ll learn how to say “Hello” in Ukrainian. This language is a Slavic language, so if you are already familiar with Eastern European culture, it will be easy for you, if you just want to learn Ukrainian language and this is something new for you – excellent!

Here’s what you can do with this lesson…

• Read, review, and read out loud
• Print it out as physical review material (I like printing stuff)
• Save images for your personal use (as flashcards)

 14 Unique Ways to Say Hello in Ukrainian

1. Hello in Ukrainian

• Привіт
• Transliteration: Pryvit

You might notice that this word looks like Russian [Privet]. You are right! The Ukrainian language is similar to Russian, and you can even communicate in Russian all around Ukraine. But without a doubt, folks will appreciate it if you try to speak Ukrainian, especially nowadays.

{Привіт} is a popular word in the Ukrainian language, but remember, this is not a formal way to greet a person. You should not say it to your boss, but it’s the best word to say to your friends.

2. Hello (formal)

• Вітаю
• Vitayu

This is a good, formal way to say Hello in Ukrainian. You can say [Vitayu] to any person you wish. You can pronounce “Вітаю” dividing it into two parts – [vita] and [you] and as a result, you get [Vitayu].

3. Good morning in Ukrainian

• Добрий ранок
• Dobriy ranok

Yes, this is not literally a way to say hello in Ukrainian. However, it’s a greeting, right? And thus, it goes on this list.

{Добрий ранок} is the phrase word to say good morning in Ukrainian. You can say this to anyone. Ukrainians use [Dobriy ranok] before 11:59 A.M. in the morning but don’t worry, it’s not so strict as to when you can’t say it. Some of us wake up later!

4. Good afternoon in Ukrainian

• Добрий день
• Dobriy den’

This is also frequently used greeting during the day. You can say it to everyone and everywhere. It is also used in formal occasions – on TV, radio, business meetings and etc. On TV people also say {Dobrogo dnya}.

5. Good evening in Ukrainian

• Добрий вечір
• Dobriy vechir

You can use this from 6 p.m until the night. It’s kind of formal so young people (friends) don’t use it often. But, on TV like on the news or some sports events, it’s used often.

6. Good night in Ukrainian

• Доброї ночі
• Dobroyi nochi

You can use it only at night or in the early morning. Don’t forget, when saying “Доброї ночі,” you are greeting a person at night and not wishing them sweet dreams.

If you want to use {Good night} to somebody who is going to sleep, you have to say “надобраніч” – [Nadobranich].

• Hадобраніч
• Nadobranich

7. Hello (the military way)

• Здоров’я бажаю
• Zdorovia bazhayu

This is how you say hello in Ukrainian in the military. If we translate this pair of words to English, it means “Good health” or “I wish you good health.”Old people say a similar phrase, [dobrogo zdorovyachka], and it’s not a problem if you use it; it sounds polite.

8. Hello (used on the phone)

• Алло
• Allo

This is how you say Hello in Ukrainian on the phone. If you say it to somebody in real life, it’s quite rude but it means [wake up], or [can you hear me?]. But for phone conversations, this is a proper form for greeting.

9. Hello (Ukrainian slang)

• Здоров
• Zdorov

[Zdorov] is the most popular slang way of greeting. Young people use it all the time; especially males. If you see your close friend, you can say [Zdorov].

10. Hello (Ukrainian slang)

• Здоровенькі були
• Zdorovenʲki buly

These words have no exact translation; Ukrainians just know that it means health. [Zdorovenʲki buly] you can find this phrase in Ukrainian literary works.

The next few ways to say Hello in Ukrainian are borrowed from English.

11. Hello (international)

• Хеллоу
• Hello-oo

12. Hi (international)

• Хай
• Hai

13. What’s up (international)

• Вотсап
• Votsap

14. Salute (international)

• Салют
• Salyut

All of these borrowed words are well-known around the world. Honestly, Ukrainians don’t use them a lot but they will still understand it.

There you go. Now you know the top ways to say hello in Ukrainian. Do you know of other unique ways to say hello? Leave a comment below and I’ll add it to this list. I read all the comments!

– PDF Jeff

P.S. Want to learn how to say hello in Russian? Click here:

For Beginners: 20 Unique Ways to Say Hello in Russian