How People Say Hello Around The World
Greetings are the short, fixed words and gestures people use to open a conversation — "Hello" in English, 你好 (nǐ hǎo) in Mandarin, Vanakkam in Tamil, Selamat pagi in Malay, こんにちは (konnichiwa) in Japanese, Bonjour in French, Olá in Portuguese and नमस्ते (namaste) in Hindi.
In Singapore a child hears three or four of these before leaving the void deck, so greetings are usually the first piece of a new language anyone picks up. They are short, forgiving of a rough accent, and using someone's own greeting is read almost everywhere as a mark of respect — which is why they matter far beyond travel.
Three ideas do most of the work. First, a greeting is a word plus a body action: a bow in Japan, palms pressed together for namaste in India, a handshake in Kenya, a hug or cheek kiss in Brazil and France. Second, many languages swap the greeting by time of day, as Malay does with Selamat pagi, Selamat petang and Selamat malam. Third, greetings are learnt by sound, not spelling — say them aloud to remember them.
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Hello, world!👋 How People Say Hello Around The World One little word can open a door anywhere on Earth. 🖐️ In Singapore you might say “Hello!”, “你好!”, “Vanakkam!” or “Selamat pagi!” — all before you even reach school. The world has over 7,000 languages. In this lesson you will collect greetings from six places, learn how people greet with their bodies as well as their words, and build your own perfect hello. 🎯 Your mission: by the end, be able to greet a visitor from Japan, France, India, Kenya, Brazil or China — and know what to do with your hands!
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Tap the world map🗺️ Find the greeting on the map Each orange pin is a country. I will say a greeting — tap the pin where people say it. The pin that gently pulses is your clue's neighbourhood… just kidding, there is no clue. You've got this! Who says … ? Found 0 of 4 1 2 3 4 Tap a numbered pin to answer. Greetings collected: none yet — go find some!
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Say it out loud🔊 Say it out loud A greeting is only useful when you say it. Tap each card to flip it over and see how to pronounce the word — then whisper it to yourself. 🇯🇵 こんにちは tap to hear how “kon-nee-chee-wah” Japan · Japanese 🇫🇷 Bonjour tap to hear how “bon-ZHOOR” France · French 🇰🇪 Jambo tap to hear how “JAM-boh” Kenya · Swahili 🇧🇷 Olá tap to hear how “oh-LAH” Brazil · Portuguese 🇮🇳 नमस्ते tap to hear how “nuh-MUS-tay” India · Hindi 🇨🇳 你好 tap to hear how “nee-HOW” China · Mandarin 0 of 6 cards flipped. 💡 Nobody expects a perfect accent. People are happy you tried — trying is the polite part.
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Match the greeting🧲 Match each greeting to its home Now put your collection to work. Tap a word at the top, then tap the country it belongs to. (On a tablet you can also drag it across.) Namaste Jambo Bonjour Olá 🇫🇷France— drop here — 🇮🇳India— drop here — 🇰🇪Kenya— drop here — 🇧🇷Brazil— drop here — Pick a word to begin. ↺ Shuffle and try again
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Hello without words🙇 Hello without words Half of a greeting isn't a word at all — it's what your body does. Different places have different habits: PlaceThe body part 🇯🇵 JapanA bow — deeper bow, more respect 🇮🇳 IndiaPalms together at the chest, small nod 🇳🇿 New Zealand (Māori)Hongi — gently press noses together 🇧🇷 BrazilA hug, or a light kiss on the cheek 🇸🇬 SingaporeA smile, a wave, a handshake — all fine! Try the bow meter In Japan, how deep you bow says something. Slide the bar, then tap Bow! to see if it fits the situation. Bow angle: 15° Situation: you meet your friend's grandmother for the first time. 🙇 Bo
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Morning, noon or night?🌅 Morning, noon or night? Many languages change the greeting with the time of day — just like Malay does here in Singapore. TimeMalay 🇸🇬🇲🇾Spanish 🇪🇸 MorningSelamat pagiBuenos días AfternoonSelamat petangBuenas tardes NightSelamat malamBuenas noches Spot the pattern: in Malay the first word selamat never changes — only the time word after it does. Learn one word, get three greetings free! Sun clock challenge Tap the sun to move it across the sky, then choose the Malay greeting that matches where it is. ☀️ Move the sun Sunrise — about 7 in the morning. Selamat pagi Selamat petang Selamat malam P
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Build your hello🎬 Build your own hello A visitor is walking towards you. Choose who you are greeting, what you say, and what your body does — then press Greet and watch it play. 1. Who is it? 🇯🇵 A boy from Japan 🇮🇳 A girl from India 🇧🇷 A boy from Brazil 2. What do you say? こんにちは नमस्ते Olá 3. What does your body do? 🙇 Small bow 🙏 Palms together 🤗 Friendly hug ▶ Greet! Your greeting will play here. Pick one from each row. ✨ Mix-and-match is fine in real life too — saying “Olá” with a bow is not wrong, just a bit surprising. Matching the word to the custom shows you really care.
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You did it!🌏🏅 You can greet the whole world! Six words to keep: こんにちは (Japan) · Bonjour (France) · Jambo (Kenya) · Olá (Brazil) · नमस्ते (India) · 你好 (China) Hands and heads matter too — a bow, palms together, a hongi, a hug or a handshake all mean “hello”. Time changes the words — Selamat pagi / petang / malam. One first word, three greetings. Watch and copy. When you're unsure, do what the other person does — and always smile. Trying counts. A wobbly “Bonjour” beats a perfect silence every single time. Your challenge this week Singapore already has four of these languages living side by side. Greet som
Frequently asked questions
- How do you say hello in Singapore's four official languages?
- English uses "Hello", Mandarin uses 你好 (nǐ hǎo), Tamil uses வணக்கம் (Vanakkam), and Malay commonly uses Selamat pagi (good morning) or Apa khabar (how are you). All four are heard daily in Singapore, so most children already know two or three without realising it.
- Why do people in Japan bow instead of shaking hands?
- A bow is Japan's standard polite greeting, and its depth signals how much respect is being shown — a small nod between friends, a deeper bend for elders or teachers. It is paired with words such as こんにちは (konnichiwa), used from late morning through the afternoon.
- Why does Malay have a different hello for morning and night?
- Malay greetings are built from "Selamat" (safe or blessed) plus the time of day: Selamat pagi for morning, Selamat petang for late afternoon, and Selamat malam for night. Spanish works the same way with buenos días, buenas tardes and buenas noches.
- What does namaste mean and how is it done?
- Namaste (नमस्ते) is a greeting used across India and Nepal, said while pressing both palms together in front of the chest and dipping the head slightly. It works for hello and goodbye, and needs no physical contact, which makes it a safe greeting for a stranger.
- Is it rude to get a greeting wrong in another language?
- Almost never — in most cultures the attempt itself is read as courtesy, and people will happily correct the pronunciation. The safer habit is watching what the other person does with their hands or head first, then copying it, since the gesture varies more than the word.
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