Somali Greetings
Just like in the English language, there are various ways to greet a person in Somali. This includes time-appropriate greetings like good morning, good afternoon, and good evening which are chosen based on the time of day.
Below you'll find a brief rundown to get you conversing in Somali.
Notes: Words in bold added during the last update. You can also view these greetings from English to Somali.
Saying hello in Somali:
Kulanti wanaagsan ➔ Nice to meet you
Ma nabad baa? ➔ Hello / How are you? (lit. Is there peace?)
Salaam alaykum ➔ Hello
Soo dhowow ➔ Welcome
Wakhti dheer kuma arag ➔ Long time no see
Timed Somali greetings:
Maalin wanagsan ➔ Good morning
Galab wanaagsan ➔ Good afternoon
Waa nabad ➔ Good afternoon
Fiid wanaagsan ➔ Good evening
Habeen wanagsan ➔ Good night
Saying goodbye in Somali:
Macasalaamo ➔ Bye (informal)
Maalin wanaagsan ➔ Have a nice day
Nabad gelyo ➔ Good bye
*List of greetings last updated: March 12, 2018.
Comprehension:
Can you answer these questions about Somali greetings?
1. How do you say hello in Somali?
2. How do you say good morning in Somali?
3. How do you say good night in Somali
4. How do you say goodbye in Somali?
5. What is good afternoon in Somali?
6. What is good evening in Somali?
7. What is the word for bye in Somali?
Next Up
Common Words and Phrases: Learn how to say common words and phrases in Somali.
Perhaps you want to learn greetings and goodbyes in these other languages?
Afrikaans, Arabic, Dutch, Filipino, Finnish, French, Gaelic, German, Greek, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Malay, Mandarin, Maori, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Somali, Spanish, Swedish, Urdu, and Vietnamese.