These are phrases you use when you greet people in the evening. Exactly when you use these phrases varies from country to country. In some languages, Spanish for example, the same words are used for afternoon and evening.
Click on any of the phrases that are links to hear them spoken. If you can provide recordings, corrections or additional translations, please contact me.
To see more phrases in each language click on the language names. If you'd like to see these phrases in any combination of two languages, try the Phrase Finder.
| Language | Evening greetings |
|---|---|
| Adyghe | Уипчыхьэ шІу |
| Afrikaans | Goeienaand |
| Albanian (Gheg) | Mir-mrãma |
| Albanian (Tosk) | Mirëmbrëma |
| Aleut | Amgiichxizax̂ |
| Altay | Јакшылыкту эҥирле (Ĵakšılıktu eñirle) Јакшы эҥир (Ĵakšı eñir) |
| Aklan | Mayad nga gabi-i |
| Alsatian | Güeter Owa Güete Obe A güata-n-owa A göte-n-owwe. |
| Amharic | አንደምን አመሸህ? (əndämən amäššäh?) ＞m ምሽቱን እንዴት አሳለፍከው? (məššətun əndet asalläfkäw?) ＞m አንደምን አመሸሽ? (əndämən amäššäš?) ＞f ምሽቱን እንዴት አሳለፍሽው? (məššətun əndet asalläfšəw?) ＞f አንደምን አመሹ? (əndämən amäššu?) frm [how did you spend the evening?] |
| Arabic (Egyptian) |
(misa' il khayr)
مساء الخير response - (misa' in noor) مساء النّور |
| Arabic (Lebanese) |
Masa el khayr |
| Arabic (Modern Standard) |
(masā' al-khayr) مساء الخير |
| Arabic (Moroccan) |
(mselkḥīr) مساء الخير |
| Aragonese | Buena nueit |
| Armenian (Eastern) |
Բարի' երեկո: (Bari yereko) |
| Armenian (Western) |
Բարի իրիկուն: (Paree eereegoon) |
| Assamese | শুভ গধূলি (xubhô gôdhuli) |
| Asturian | Bona nueche |
| Azerbaijani | Axşamınız xeyir |
| Balinese | Rahajeng peteng, ᬭᬳᬚᭂᬂᬧᭂᬢᭂᬂ |
| Bambara | I ni wula (sg) Aw ni wula (pl) |
| Bashkir | хәйерле кис (xäyyerlye kis) |
| Basque | Arratsalde on |
| Bavarian | Guadn åmd |
| Belarusian | Добры вечар (Dobry večar) |
| Bemba | Chungulopo mukwai Eya mukwai (reply) |
| Bengali | শুভ সন্ধ্যা (Shubhô sôndhya) |
| Bhojpuri | राम राम (raam raam) |
| Bikol | Marhay na banggi Dyos marhay na banggi Marhay na pagkabanggí |
| Bislama | Gudnaet |
| Blaan | Fyē kifu |
| Bosnian | Dobro večer |
| Breton | Nozvezh vat |
| Bulgarian | Добър вечер (Dobãr večer) |
| Burmese | မဂႆလာပၝ (min-ga-la-ba) |
| Catalan | Bona nit |
| Cebuano | Maayong Gabii |
| Central Dusun | Kopisanangan doungosodop Osonong sosodopon |
| Chabacano de Cavite | Buenas noches |
| Chabacano de Zamboanga | Buenas noches |
| Chamorro (Guam dialect) |
Buenas noches |
| Chamorro (North Marianas dialect) |
Buenas noches |
| Chechen | Суьйре дика йойла (Süyre dika yoyla) Суьйре дика хуьлда хьан (Süyre dika xülda ẋan) - sg Суьйре дика хуьлда шун (Süyre dika xülda şun) - pl |
| Cherokee | ᎣᏍᏓ ᏒᎯᏰ (Osda svhiye) ᎣᏍᏓ ᏒᎯᏰᏱ (Osda svhiyeyi) |
| Chichewa | Mwachoma bwanji Ndachoma bwino (reply) |
| Chinese (Cantonese) |
晚安 (máahn ōn) 晚上好 (máahnseuhng hóu) |
| Chinese (Hakka) |
食夜沒？ (siit8ia5mut8?) 晚安 (van3on1) |
| Chinese (Mandarin) |
晚安 (wǎn'ān) 晚上好 (wǎnshànghǎo) |
| Chinese (Shanghainese) |
夜里好 (yà lī hō) 夜里相好 (yà lī xiāng hō) |
| Chinese (Taiwanese) |
暗安 (àm-an) 晚安 (bóan-an) |
| Chipewyan | Horélyą náheɁą Nánést’į nįndé nesdhen |
| Chuukese | Nekkunion annim |
| Chuvash | Ыра каш пултӑр (Yra kaš pultăr) |
| Cimbrian | Guuten aabend! |
| Coastal Kadazan | Kopivosian minsosodopon |
| Cornish | Gorthugher da |
| Corsican | (À) bona sera |
| Croatian | Dobra večer |
| Cuyonon | Mayad nga gabi |
| Czech | Dobrý večer |
| Danish | God aften |
| Dari | (Cast baxir) چست بخير |
| Dholuo | Idhi nade? (How is your evening?) Adhi ma ber (My evening is going well - reply) Owimore? (How is the evening?) Owimore ahinya (The evening is going well - reply) Oyimore (It [the sky] has closed itself -sg) Oyimore ahinya (reply - pl) |
| Duala | Pô la ɓwâm |
| Dutch | Goedenavond Goeienavond |
| Dzongkha | ཕྱི་རུ་བདེེ་ལེགས། (Chiru delek) |
| Efik | Mọkọm Ekọm do |
| Elfdalian | Gukweld |
| Estonian | Tere õhtust |
| Ewe | Fiɛyi Fiɛyi na mi |
| Extremaduran | Buena(s) tardi(s) Alas buenas tardis |
| Faroese | Gott kvøld |
| Fijian | Bula Ni sa Bula |
| Finnish | Hyvää iltaa Iltaa |
| Flemish (West) | Goeije 'n avend |
| French | Bonsoir |
| Frisian (North - Mooring) | Gudeen |
| Frisian (Saterland) | Nacht |
| Frisian (West) | Goeie jûn |
| Friulian | Buine sere |
| Galician | Boa tarde Boas tardes Bo serán |
| Garifuna | Buiti raaban weyu |
| Gascon | Bona nueit Bona nuèit |
| Georgian | საღამო მშვიდობისა (saghamo mshvidobisa) |
| German | Guten Abend |
| Greek (Ancient) | Χαῖρε! (Khaíre!) Χαίρετε! (Khaírete!) |
| Greek (Modern) | Καλησπέρα (Kalispéra) - when arriving Καλό βράδυ (Kaló bradi) - when leaving |
| Greenlandic | Inuugujaq |
| Guernésiais | Baen souaer Bon souer |
| Gujarati | શુભ સંધ્યા (shubh sandhya) - archaic |
| Haitian Creole | Bonswa |
| Hausa | Barka da yamma |
| Hawaiian | Aloha ahiahi |
| Hebrew | (Erev tov) ערב טוב |
| Herero | Wa tokerwa Wa tokerwa nawa? (sg) Mwa tokerwa nawa (pl) |
| Hiligaynon | Ma-ayong Hapon Ma-ayong gab-i |
| Hindi | नमस्ते (namaste) शुभ सन्ध्या (śubh sandhyā) - rarely used |
| Hmong (White) | Nyob zoo (common any time of day) Nyob zoo yav tsaus ntuj os (not common) Nyob zoo thaum yav tsaus ntuj (not common) |
| Hungarian | Jó estét (kívánok) |
| Iban | Selamat lamai (2-7pm) |
| Icelandic | Góða kvöldið Gott kvöld |
| Igbo | Ndeewo Ndewo (reply) |
| Iloko | Naimbag a sardam |
| Inari Saami | Pyeri eehid |
| Indonesian | Selamat sore (late afternoon/evening) Selamat malam (late evening/night) |
| Inuktitut | ᐅᓐᓄᓴᒃᑯᑦ (Unnuhatkut/Unnusakkut) |
| Iñupiaq | Unnusatkun Anaqaksralluataq |
| Irish (Gaelic) | Tráthnóna maith duit (sg) Tráthnóna maith daoibh (pl) |
| Italian | Buonasera |
| Jamaican | Gud evening Gud evenling |
| Japanese | 今晩は / こんばんは (konbanwa) |
| Javanese | ꦱꦸꦒꦼꦁꦱꦺꦴꦤ꧀ꦠꦼꦤ꧀ (Sugeng sọnten) |
| Jenesch | Voscha buik |
| Jèrriais | Bônsouair |
| Kabiye | Ñánà ɖánaɣ |
| Kabyle | Mselkhir Mselkhir d lhafiya (reply) |
| Kalmyk | Сән хонтн! (Sän xontn) |
| Kannada | ಶುಭ ಸಾಯಂಕಾಲ (shubha sāyankāla) |
| Kaqchikel | Xqa q'ij Xqa q'ij nan (said to older females) Xqa q'ij tat (said to older males) |
| Kashubian | Dobri wieczór Dobri wieczórk |
| Kazakh | Қайырлы кеш! (Qayrli kesh!) Кеш жарық! (Kesh zharyq!) |
| Khmer | សាយ័ណ្ហសួស្ដី (sayôn suŏ sdei) |
| Khoekhoe (Nama) | !Gâi !oes. |
| Kinyarwanda | Mwiriwe neza |
| Korean | 안녕하십니까 (annyeong hashimnikka) 좋은 저녁 (joheun jeonyeok) |
| Kumyk | Геч яхшы болсун (Geç yaхşı bolsun) Сав бол (Saw bol - reply) Сав болугъуз (Saw boluğuz - reply) |
| Kurdish (Kurmanji) | Evarbash, evara te bi xér (sg) Evarbash, evara we bi xér (pl) |
| Kurdish (Sorani) | Êware baş |
| Kven | Hyvvää iltaa |
| Kyrgyz | Кайырлуу кеч! (Kayryluu kech!) |
| Ladino | (Buenas tardes) בוינאס טארדיס (Buena tadrada) בוינא טאדראדא |
| Lao | ສະບາຍດີຍາມແລງ (sabaidee yarm laeng) ສະບາຍດີ (sabaidee) |
| Latgalian | Lobs vokors |
| Latin | Bonum Vesper! |
| Latvian | Labvakar |
| Laz | კაი ლიმჯი (Ǩai limci) |
| Limburgish | Gojenaovend |
| Lingala | Mbote |
| Lithuanian | Labas vakaras |
| Livvi-Karelian | Hyviä ildua |
| Low Saxon | (Goden) Avend |
| Lozi | Lobala ka kozo |
| Luganda | Osiibye otya nno? (How was your day?) Bulungi, osiibye otya nno? (reply) |
| Lule Sámi | Buorre iehket |
| Luxembourgish | Gudden Owend |
| Macedonian | Добра вечер (Dobra večer) |
| Maithili | Shubh sandhya Sanjhek pranaam. |
| Malagasy | Manao ahoana e |
| Malay | Selamat petang (2-7pm) |
| Malayalam | ശുഭസന്ധ്യ (śubh sandhya) |
| Maldivian | (Ba'ajjeveri haveereh) ބައްއަޖޖެވުރި ހަވީރެހް |
| Maltese | Bonswa Il-lejla t-tajba |
| Mam | Qa’lte |
| Manx (Gaelic) | Fastyr mie |
| Māori | Kia ora |
| Marathi | शुभ-संध्या (shubh-sandhyā) |
| Marshallese | Io̧kwe in jota |
| Mauritian Creole | Bonswar |
| Monégasque | Bona sera |
| Mongolian | Оройн мэнд (Oroin mend) |
| Mossi | Ne y zaabre |
| Nahuatl | Cualli teotlac Cualli tiotaqui Tiotaqui ¿Quen oteotlahquililo? (How was the dusqu?) |
| Nauruan | Omo yemero |
| Navajo | Yá'át'ééh ałní'íní Yáʼátʼééh iʼííʼą́ |
| Nkore | Osiibire ota? (How was your day?) |
| Ndebele (Northern - Zimbabwe) | Litshonile |
| Ndebele (Southern) | Litshone njani Utshone njani? (How have you spent your day?) - said only to sb you've seen in the morning Ngitshonile (reply) |
| Nepali | शुभ सन्ध्या (śubha sandhyā) |
| Nogai | Кеш яхшы болсын |
| Northern Sámi | Buorre eahket Ipmel atti (reply) |
| Northern Sotho | Dumêlang Fonaneng |
| Norwegian | God kveld |
| Occitan | Bonser |
| Ojibwe | Mino dibikad ("It's a good night") |
| Oʼodham | Skeg hudñig |
| Oriya | ସୁଭସନ୍ଧ୍ୟା (Subha sandhẏā) |
| Oshiwambo | Wa tokelwa po? (sg) Mwa tokelwa po? (pl) Owa tokelwa po nawa? |
| Ossetian | Дæ уæ изæр хорз (Dæ uæ izær xorz) |
| Palauan | Ungil Kebsengei |
| Papiamento | Bon nochi |
| Pashto | (maakhaam mo pa kheyr) ماښام مو په خير (khah maakhaam) ماشام شه |
| Pennsylvania German / Dutch | Gut'n Owed Guder Owet/Owed |
| Picard | Bonsoèr |
| Pohnpeian | Soutik mwahu |
| Polish | Dobry wieczór Miłego wieczoru - (used when leaving) |
| Portuguese | Boa tarde |
| Quechua | Wuynas nuchis |
| Rapa Nui | 'Iorana |
| Romanian | Bună seara |
| Romansh | Buna sera Buna saira |
| Russian | Добрый вечер! (Dobryy vecher!) |
| Rusyn | Добрый вечӱр (Dobryj večür) |
| Sakha | Үтүө киэһэнэн (ytyø kiehenen) |
| Samoan | Manuia le afiafi |
| Samogitian | Lab vakar Laba vakara |
| Sango | Balaô |
| Sardinian (Logudorese) | Bona sera Bona sero |
| Scots | Guid evenin |
| Scottish Gaelic | Feasgar math |
| Serbian | Добро вече (Dobro veče) |
| Sesotho | Fonane (sg) Fonaneng (pl) |
| Sicilian | Bona sira |
| Shona | Manheru Maswera sei (reply) |
| Sindhi | Sham jo salam |
| Sinhala | සුභ සැන්දෑවක් (subha sandhavak) |
| Slovak | Dobrý večer |
| Slovenian | Dober večer |
| Solresol | Misi |
| Somali | Fiid wanaagsan |
| Sorbian (Lower) | Dobry wjacor |
| Sorbian (Upper) | Dobry wječor |
| Southern Sámi | Buerie iehkede |
| Spanish | Buenas tardes Buenas noches |
| Stellingwarfs | Goeienaovend |
| Sundanese | Wilujeng wengi |
| Swahili | Habari ya jioni |
| Swazi | Lishonile sihlobo sami |
| Swedish | God kväll |
| Swiss German | Gueten Oobe |
| Tagalog | Magandang gabi po (frm) Magandang gabi (inf) |
| Tahitian | 'Ia ora oe i teie po |
| Tajik | Шаб ба хайр (Šab ba xajr) |
| Tamil (formal) | மாலை வணக்கம் (maalai vanakkam) [ml] [fm] |
| Tatar | Xäyerle kiç |
| Telugu | నమస్కారం (namaskārām) - frm నమస్తే (namaste) - inf |
| Tetum | Bonoite Kalan diak Boasnoite |
| Thai | สวัสดีครับ
(sà-wàt-dee kráp) - m สวัสดีค่ะ (sà-wàt-dee kâ) - f |
| Tibetan | དགོང་དྲོ་བདེ་ལེགས། (gong-to de-lek) |
| Tigrinya | ከመይ ኣምሲኻ (kemey Amsika) m/sg ከመይ ኣምሲኺ (kemey Amsiki) f/sg ከመይ ኣምሲኹም (kemey Amsikum) m/pl/frm ከመይ ኣምሲኽን (kemey Amsikn) f/pl/frm |
| Tokelauan | Afiafi |
| Tok Pisin | Apinum Gut nait |
| Tongan | Mālō tau ma‘u e efiafi ni |
| Tsonga | Riperile (sg) Imadyambu |
| Tsotsil | Mi li'ote |
| Tswana | Muitsibowa a a monate |
| Turkish | İyi akşamlar |
| Turkmen | Agşamyňyz haýyrly bolsun |
| Twi | Me ma wo adwo Maadwo Yaa agya (reply - to an elderly man) Yaa ɛna (reply - to an elderly woman) Yaa anua (reply - to a sibling age mate or colleague) |
| Udmurt | Ӟеч ӝыт (Dźeč džyt) |
| Ukrainian | Доброго вечора (Dobroho večora) |
| Urdu | (roz bākhair) روز بخير |
| Uyghur | (Häyirlik käch) خەيىرلىك كەچ |
| Uzbek | Hayirli kech |
| Venda | Ndi madekwana Ndi madekwana avhudi (reply) |
| Venetian | Bona sera |
| Veps | Hüväd ehtad |
| Vietnamese | Chào buổi tối |
| Võro | Tere õdagust |
| Walloon | Bonswêr |
| Wayuu | Aliika |
| Welsh | Noswaith dda |
| Westrobothnian | Gow kwell |
| Wolof | Naka ngon si |
| Wymsorys | Güter öwyt |
| Xhosa | Molo (sg) Molweni (pl) |
| Yapese | Fal'e baleyal |
| Yiddish | (A gut ovnt) א גוט אָוונט |
| Yoruba | Ẹ kú rọ̀lẹ́ Ẹ ká alẹ́ |
| Yucatec Maya | Ma'lob ak'ab |
| Zazaki | Şan be xêr bo Maxreb be xêr bo Şanweş |
| Zulu | Sawubona (sg) Sanibonani (pl) |
| Auxiliary and constructed languages | |
|---|---|
| Esperanto | Bonan vesperon |
| Folkspraak | Gud avend |
| Interlingua | Bon vespere |
| Lojban | coi |
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
Welcome | Hello | How are you? | Long time no see | What's your name? | Where are you from? | Pleased to meet you | Good morning | Good afternoon | Good evening | Good night | Goodbye | Good luck | Cheers! | Have a nice day | Have a nice weekend | Bon appetit | Bon voyage | Yes, No | Maybe | I don't know | Do you understand? | I understand | I don't understand | Please speak more slowly | Please say that again | Please write it down | Do you speak English? | Do you speak [your language]? | I'm learning [your language] | How do you say ... in [your language]? | Speak to me in [your language] | Excuse me | I would like ... | How much is this? | Sorry | Please | Thank you | Where's the toilet? | This gentleman/lady will pay for everything | Would you like to dance? | Do you come here often? | I miss you | I love you | Get well soon | Go away! | Leave me alone! | Help! | Fire! | Stop! | Call the police! | Merry Christmas | Happy New Year | Happy Easter | Happy Birthday | Congratulations | One language is never enough | My hovercraft is full of eels
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