There’s more than one way to say “hello” in Egyptian Arabic. Pick the right one (and learn exactly how to say it), and you will more quickly connect with Egyptians. You will also sound more fluent in Egyptian Arabic.
Below you’ll find nine of the most common ways to say “hello” in Egyptian Arabic, as well as some helpful background information for each one.
Enjoy!
1) Ahlan. / .أهلًا
Literal Meaning:
Welcome.
Background:
Ahlan is one of the most common and neutral greetings in Egyptian Arabic. It can be used at any time of day and with just about anyone, and works in both formal and informal contexts. It’s often used as a friendly way to say “hi” / “welcome” when someone enters a room or joins a conversation.
Note: if you are the one entering a room, you wouldn’t say it.
Example Conversation:
Good evening, how are you everyone? : Masa2 elkheer, ezayoko ya gama3a?
مساء الخير، ازيكو يا جماعة؟
Welcome Karim! All is good! : Ahlan ya Karim! Kolo tamam!
!أهلًا يا كريم! كله تمام
2) Ahlan wa sahlan! : !أهلًا وسهلًا
Literal Meaning:
Welcome and ease.
Background:
This phrase is slightly more formal and warm than ahlan. It comes from an older poetic phrase “May you arrive with ease and be made welcome”. I know – a bit stuffy!
Still, it’s a normal way to say “hello” in Egyptian Arabic and all over the Arab world. It’s most commonly used to welcome someone into a home, office, or event. In more professional settings, you will usually hear it followed by the person’s name or title, which shows respect and hospitality.
Example Conversation:
Welcome doctor! : Ahlan wa sahlan ya doctora!
!أهلًا وسهلًا يا دكتورة
Thanks a lot. : motashkera awy.
.متشكرة قوي
3) Es-salaamu 3alaykum. / .السلام عليكم
Literal Meaning:
Peace be upon you.
Background:
If there is one phrase you should learn in Egyptian Arabic, this is probably it. Es-salaamu 3alaykum / السلام عليكم is a traditional Islamic greeting used across the Arab world. It’s used basically everywhere. The common response is wa 3alaykum es-salaam / وعليكم السلام. This means “and peace be upon you”.
While this is a common way to say hello in Egyptian Arabic, it’s much more respectful. This phrase is more formal and often used when entering a room or beginning a respectful conversation. You can also use it when passing by someone, even a stranger.
An important note here: as you can hear from the audio above, the phrase es-salaamu 3alaykum / السلام عليكم often leaves out the beginning “es” part. Said quickly, it really just sounds like salaamu 3alaykum.
Example Conversation:
Peace be upon you, sir Ahmed. : Es-salaamu 3alaykum, ya Hag Ahmed.
.السلام عليكم، يا حاج أحمد
And peace be upon you, my son. : Wa 3alaykum es-salaam, ya ebny.
.وعليكم السلام، يا ابني
4) Saba7 el-kheir. : .صباح الخير
Literal Meaning:
Good morning.
Background:
Pretty basic. This is the go to greeting in the morning hours, used both formally and informally. It’s often followed by saba7 el-noor (literally “morning of light”) in response, which you see below. A more informal response would be saba7 el foll which means “morning of jasmine”.
In Egyptian Arabic, the time of the day is important to keep in mind here. For example, saba7 el-kheir can stretch all the way till 4:00 or 5:00 PM on a summer day.
Example Conversation:
Good morning, Samar! : Saba7 el-kheir ya Samar!
!صباح الخير يا سمر
Good morning, my dear. : Saba7 el-noor, ya 7abibti.
.صباح النور، يا حبيبتي
5) Masa2 el-kheir. / .مساء الخير
Literal Meaning:
Good evening.
Background:
Same deal as the previous one. If you want to say hello in Egyptian Arabic, and do it in the evening, this is how you do it. The usual response is masa2 el-noor (literally “evening of light”).
Example Conversation:
Good evening, Ragab. : Masa2 el-kheir ya Ragab.
.مساء الخير يا رجب
Evening of light handsome. : Masa2 el-noor ya gameel.
.مساء النور يا جميل
6) 3amel eih? / عامل إيه؟ (to a man) / 3amla eih? / عاملة إيه؟ (to a woman)
Literal Meaning:
How are you doing?
Background:
This is an informal way to ask somebody how they are doing. While you will see Egyptians use it in basically all situations, it’s usually reserved for people that you know. Like we say above:
- Asking a man: 3amel eih? / عامل إيه؟
- Asking a woman: 3amla eih? / عاملة إيه؟
And if you want to ask a group of people?
- 3amleen eih? / عامليين إيه؟
Learn this one – it’s definitely one of the friendlier ways to say “hello” in Egyptian Arabic!
Example Conversation:
How are you, Dina? : 3amla eih ya Dina?
عاملة إيه يا دينا؟
I’m good, and you (feminine)? : Ana tamam, we enti?
أنا تمام، و إنتي؟
7) Basha. : .باشا
Literal Meaning:
Hey boss / sir.
Background:
This is a cheerful and charming way to greet men. It’s used with a slight bit of irony, My experience is usually that Egyptian guys will laugh / smile when you say “hello” in this way.
While originally a formal Turkish title, the way it’s used in Egypt doesn’t actually imply that someone has authority. It’s more like a “What’s up boss?” or “Hey big guy!” In my opinion, this is one of the greatest phrases in Egyptian Arabic slang – assuming you know how to use it!
Once I took a trip to Aswan. A guy around my age was trying to sell me something that I didn’t want, and my response was a quick one:
“No thanks sir.” : / “La’a shokran ya basha.”
He laughed and (jokingly) told me that I could call his dad “basha”, but not him. I ended up sitting down with him. We had a tea, and he explained to me how to use this phrase as effectively as possible.
One of my greatest memories of learning Egyptian Arabic from Egyptians!
Example Conversation:
Hey boss! Where are you going? : Ahlan ya basha! Rayeh fein?
أهلًا يا باشا! رايح فين؟
Going to Khan el Khalili. : Rayeh Khan el Khalili.
.رايح خان الخليلي
And if you actually are going there-
Be sure to read up on our advice for this famous market.
8) Alo? / ألو؟
Literal Meaning:
Hello?
Background:
This is a common way to say “hello” in Egyptian Arabic, but only when answering the phone. It’s the Egyptian equivalent of answering with “Hello?”: neutral, simple, and standard.
No matter how formally an Egyptian usually speaks, their first word on the phone is probably Alo? (And it most likely comes from French! )
Example Conversation:
Hello? : Alo?
ألو؟
It’s Hossam, do you hear me? : Ana Hossam, same3ny?
أنا حسام، سامعني؟
9) Eh elkalam? / ايه الكلام؟
Literal Meaning:
What’s the talk?
Background:
This is a common Egyptian Arabic phrase that is usually used to mean “What’s going on…?” or “What are we talking about?”. Used in the right context, though, it can also just mean “hello”.
This style of saying “hello” in Egyptian Arabic is usually reserved for close friends. You will often say it in a tone of curiosity for today’s plan. And ironically, the situation you use it in is usually one where you don’t have to say “hello”. Kind of like “Alright, what are we going to do?”
Example Conversation:
Here they are! : ahom henak!
!اهم هناك
What’s the talk today guys, football or what? : eh elkalam elnharda ya shabab, kora wala eh?
ايه الكلام النهاردة يا شباب، كورة ولا ايه؟
Culture Corner
Egyptians love greetings. Expect a bit of back-and-forth, even for a simple hello. It’s common to ask not only “how are you?” but also “how’s your family?”, “how’s work?”, and even “how’s the cat?”
And yes: ya basha, ya gameel, etc.… these aren’t just Egyptian Arabic nicknames. They’re playful, exaggerated ways to say hello with charm and a bit of drama.
Learn now only what to say, but how to say it, and you’ll fit right in with Egyptians!
…
Happy learning,
Cleo Lingo