Arabic Greetings and Responses: From Salam to Goodbye

Arabic language greetings come in pairs. Someone says a phrase, and there is a set reply that goes with it. As-salamu alaykum gets wa alaykum as-salam. Sabah al-khayr gets sabah an-nur. If you learn only the first half of each pair, you will freeze the moment someone greets you first, which is exactly what happens to most beginners.

So this guide gives you both halves. Below are the greetings people actually use every day, the replies that go with them, and the versions you will hear in Egyptian, Levantine, Gulf, and Moroccan Arabic. Transliterations are kept simple so you can say them out loud right away.

One honest warning before we start: reading these will not make you able to use them. Greetings are fast, reflexive, and spoken. You learn them by saying them until they come out without thinking.

The essential Arabic greetings and responses

These six pairs work almost everywhere in the Arab world, from Casablanca to Baghdad. If you only learn one section of this article, learn this one.

1. As-salamu alaykum (السلام عليكم)

Meaning: Peace be upon you.
Reply: Wa alaykum as-salam (وعليكم السلام), "and upon you, peace."

The universal greeting. You can use it entering a shop, meeting a stranger, joining a group, or answering the phone. It is never wrong, and it is never too formal for daily life.

2. Marhaba (مرحبا)

Meaning: Hello.
Reply: Marhaba, or in the Levant, marhabtein (مرحبتين), literally "two hellos."

Casual and friendly. Marhaba is the everyday hello in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Palestine, and it is understood everywhere else.

3. Ahlan wa sahlan (أهلا وسهلا)

Meaning: Welcome.
Reply: Ahlan bik (to a man) or ahlan biki (to a woman), "welcome to you."

This is what a host, a shopkeeper, or a friend says when you arrive. The short form, ahlan, is also used on its own as a simple "hi."

4. Sabah al-khayr (صباح الخير)

Meaning: Good morning, literally "morning of goodness."
Reply: Sabah an-nur (صباح النور), "morning of light."

This is the classic call and response. In Egypt you will also hear playful upgrades like sabah el-full ("morning of jasmine") or sabah el-ward ("morning of roses"). Use it until around midday.

5. Masa' al-khayr (مساء الخير)

Meaning: Good evening.
Reply: Masa' an-nur (مساء النور).

Here is something many phrase lists get wrong: Arabic does not really have a separate everyday "good afternoon." Once the morning is over, people switch to masa' al-khayr. So if you are looking up how to say good afternoon in Arabic, this is the phrase you actually need.

6. Ma'a as-salama (مع السلامة)

Meaning: Goodbye, literally "go with safety."
Reply: Allah ysalmak (to a man) or Allah ysalmik (to a woman), "may God keep you safe."

The standard way to leave. You will also hear a lot of plain "bye" and "yalla bye" in cities, especially among younger speakers.

How are you? The question that follows every greeting

In Arabic, "hello" is almost never the whole exchange. It is followed by "how are you," often more than once, and this is where the dialects split the most.

• Modern Standard Arabic: kayfa haluk? (to a man), kayfa haluki? (to a woman)
• Egyptian: izzayak? (to a man), izzayek? (to a woman)
• Levantine: kifak? (to a man), kifik? (to a woman), or kif halak?
• Gulf and Iraqi: shlonak? (to a man), shlonich? (to a woman)
• Moroccan: labas? or kidayr? (to a man), kidayra? (to a woman)

The safest answer everywhere is al-hamdu lillah (الحمد لله), "praise be to God," which works whether your day is going well or not. If you want to sound more natural, add the dialect word for "good": kwayyis in Egyptian, mnih in Levantine, zain in the Gulf, bikhir in Moroccan. Then ask back: w inta? ("and you?") to a man, w inti? to a woman.

Notice what is happening in that list. The greeting itself, salam or marhaba, is shared. The follow-up is not. That is why we always tell learners to pick one spoken dialect early. If you have not decided yet, our guide to which Arabic dialect you should learn walks through the options, and the comparison of Egyptian vs Levantine Arabic shows how far the everyday words drift apart.

Greetings in different Arabic dialects

Beyond "how are you," each region has a few greetings you will hear constantly and will rarely find in a textbook.

Egyptian Arabic

Egyptians say ahlan and izzayak constantly, often together. You will also hear izzayak, 'amil eh? ("how are you, what are you up to?"). Sabah el-full is a warm, slightly playful morning reply, and replies in Egypt often try to top the greeting they answer.

Levantine Arabic

Marhaba and marhabtein are everywhere. When you leave, the person leaving often says bkhatrak (to a man) or bkhatrik (to a woman), and the other person answers ma'a as-salama. Kifak, shu akhbarak? ("how are you, what is your news?") is a very natural opener.

Gulf Arabic

In the Gulf you will hear hala or hala wallah as a warm hello, and shlonak as the go-to "how are you." Greetings tend to be longer and more layered, with several rounds of asking about health and family before the conversation moves on.

Moroccan Arabic (Darija)

A simple salam is the most common opener, followed by labas? ("all good?"), answered with labas, al-hamdu lillah. To say goodbye, Moroccans often say bslama. Darija sounds quite different from the eastern dialects, so expect these to take a little more ear training.

Muslim greetings in Arabic

The full Islamic greeting is as-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, "peace be upon you, and the mercy of God and His blessings." The full reply mirrors it: wa alaykum as-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

A few related phrases come up all the time in Muslim communities:

• Eid mubarak, "blessed Eid," on both Eid holidays.
• Ramadan kareem, "generous Ramadan," during the month of fasting. The usual reply is Allahu akram, "God is more generous."
• Jumu'a mubaraka, "blessed Friday," which many people send each Friday.

Islamic tradition encourages answering a greeting with one that is equal or better, which is why the replies so often add something. If your interest in Arabic is connected to faith, our guide to learning the language of the Quran goes deeper.

Greeting etiquette: what the phrase lists leave out

Knowing the words is half the job. The other half is knowing how greetings work socially.

• The person arriving greets first. When you walk into a room or a shop, you say salam. Do not wait for them.
• Greet the group, not just one person. When joining people, greet everyone, and greet older people first if you can.
• Do not rush it. Asking "how are you" two or three times, and asking about family, is normal. Jumping straight to business can feel cold.
• Handshakes are not universal. Some people, especially more religious men and women, do not shake hands with the opposite sex. If you are unsure, wait for them to offer a hand. A hand placed on your chest with a small nod is a polite alternative.
• Match the gender. Many replies change depending on who you speak to: ahlan bik or biki, izzayak or izzayek. Getting this right is a small detail that people notice.

Why greetings are the best place to start speaking

We think greetings are the most underrated part of learning Arabic. They are short, they repeat dozens of times a day, and they come with a built-in script: you know what the other person will say next. That makes them the perfect first conversation.

The problem is that most learners meet them in writing first. They read sabah an-nur in a list, recognize it on the page, and then cannot produce it when a real person says sabah al-khayr to them. Recognition is not the same as speaking.

A better routine takes about fifteen minutes a day:

1. Pick five pairs from this article, in the dialect you chose.
2. Say both halves out loud, the greeting and the reply, until neither needs thinking.
3. Practice the hard sounds. The ح in marhaba and sabah, the خ in khayr, and the ع in alaykum are where English speakers slip. Fix them now, before the mistake becomes habit.
4. Have short practice conversations where someone else starts, so you train the reply, not just the opener.

If you are still getting used to the script, our Arabic alphabet in 7 days plan helps you read the Arabic versions above. And if you want the full case for practicing this way, read why we believe in learning Arabic through conversation. Travelling soon? Pair this article with our essential Arabic phrases for travelers.

The quickest way to start greeting people in Arabic today

Pick one dialect, take the six pairs at the top of this guide, and say them out loud today, both halves. In Yallah Speak you can practice exactly these exchanges with an AI conversation partner in 10 dialects and get feedback on your pronunciation from the first lesson. Download the app and say your first marhaba.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common greeting in Arabic?

As-salamu alaykum, "peace be upon you," is the most widely used greeting across the Arab world. The reply is wa alaykum as-salam. For a more casual hello, marhaba and ahlan are common in every dialect.

How do you respond to sabah al-khayr?

The standard reply is sabah an-nur, "morning of light." In Egypt you will also hear friendly variations like sabah el-full. The same pattern works in the evening: masa' al-khayr is answered with masa' an-nur.

How do you say good afternoon in Arabic?

Arabic does not have a widely used separate phrase for good afternoon. After the morning, people switch to masa' al-khayr, which covers both afternoon and evening. That is the phrase to learn.

Is it okay for non-Muslims to say as-salamu alaykum?

Yes. It is the everyday greeting across the Arab world, and people generally appreciate visitors who use it. If you prefer something neutral, marhaba or sabah al-khayr are always appropriate.

How do you say how are you in Arabic?

It depends on the dialect: izzayak in Egyptian, kifak in Levantine, shlonak in Gulf Arabic, and labas in Moroccan, with feminine forms for women. In Modern Standard Arabic it is kayfa haluk. The safest answer everywhere is al-hamdu lillah.