Ever wondered what they say in Denmark for Hello?  Or how about Hungary?  Probably not actually but I’m going to tell you anyway, in Denmark they say Goddag (pronounced God-DAH) and in Hungary they say, Szervusz (pronounced SAIR-voos).  In fact, there are over 2,700 ways to say hello, and that’s just to speak.  A simple wave, a smile, a nod or even a kiss are all wonderful ways to show a great welcome such as in China where a nod or bow is polite and expected.  In Turkish of course, we say Merhaba and in Greek we say Kalimera (NOT Calamari as I’ve heard some Brits pronounce it).  It can make a great exercise to play with your kids, just put together a list of all the many hello’s from around the world, get a world map and then stick or pin each one on the different countries.  Its benefits are for learning about and becoming aware of other cultures plus good for the vocabulary.   In fact, if you are planning on a trip abroad or learning a new language, saying hello has got to be one of the most important first lessons and the best ice breaker.  To help you along your way or just as a bit of fun, here’s a list below of some of the more popular and not so popular hellos. 

If you’d like to know more hellos then there’s a great book you can buy, through www.amazon.com called, Hello World! Greetings in 42 languages from around the world by Manya Stojic published by Scholastic.