How to Say Hello in Russian

How to Say Hello in Russian

The polite way to say hello in Russian is Здравствуйте (ZDRAST-vooy-tye). It is the formal, respectful greeting used with strangers, older people, colleagues and in professional or public settings. For friends, family and peers, Russians use the casual Привет (pree-VYET). Once you have the greeting down, learn to say hi (Привет) and good morning (Доброе утро) in Russian too.

The Formal Greeting: Здравствуйте

Здравствуйте — pronounced ZDRAST-vooy-tye — is the standard polite hello.

Use it with:

• Strangers and people you have just met
• Elders and people older than you
• Teachers, officials, colleagues and superiors
• Groups of people (it works as plural)

It literally means “be healthy”, from the root здоровье (health) — so the Russian hello is a wish for good health. The word looks intimidating, but the first в is silent in everyday speech, so it flows as ZDRAST-vuy-tye.

Copy the Phrase

The Russian word for hello is Здравствуйте (ZDRAST-vooy-tye).

All the Ways to Say Hello in Russian

Russian	Transliteration	Pronunciation	When to Use
Здравствуйте	Zdravstvuyte	ZDRAST-vooy-tye	Formal, polite, or to a group
Здравствуй	Zdravstvuy	ZDRAST-vooy	Semi-formal, one person you know
Привет	Privet	pree-VYET	Informal “hi”
Доброе утро	Dobroye utro	DOB-ra-ye OO-tra	Good morning
Добрый день	Dobryy den	DOB-riy dyen	Good day / afternoon (neutral)
Добрый вечер	Dobryy vecher	DOB-riy VYE-chir	Good evening
Алло	Allo	a-LO	”Hello?” on the phone
Приветствую	Privetstvuyu	pree-VYET-stvoo-yu	Formal/literary “I greet you”

Formal vs. Informal

Russian ties greetings to the pronouns вы (formal/plural “you”) and ты (informal “you”).

Formal (вы):

• Здравствуйте — the polite all-purpose hello
• Добрый день / вечер — neutral, professional, time-based

Informal (ты):

• Привет — casual hi for friends and family
• Здравствуй — a softer, singular formal-ish form for someone you know but want to address respectfully

When in doubt, use Здравствуйте. Russians never take offence at being greeted too politely, but a too-casual greeting toward an elder or stranger can seem disrespectful.

Pronunciation Tips

• Stress the first syllable: ZDRAST.
• The first в (after здра-) is silent in natural speech — do not labour over it.
• The ‘у’ in -уй- is a quick oo, and the ending -те softens to tye.
• For Добрый день, the unstressed ‘о’ reduces to an ‘a’ sound: DOB-riy comes out closer to DOB- riy with a flat vowel.

Cultural Notes

The choice between Здравствуйте and Привет is a real social signal in Russia. Defaulting to the formal greeting with anyone you do not know well is the safe, respectful move — especially with older people, who notice register. In phone calls, Russians often answer with Алло? (a-LO) or Да? (“Yes?”). And because Здравствуйте literally wishes health, it carries a quietly warm meaning that fits both a doctor’s office and a first business meeting alike.