How to Say Hello in Armenian: 20 Essential Greetings
Armenian greetings are the first thing you'll use in any real conversation. Here are the essentials to get you started, from the most casual hello to formal introductions — all in Standard Eastern Armenian, the form spoken in Armenia today.
Everyday greetings
Learn these first — they cover almost every casual interaction you'll have:
- Բարև (ba-rev) — Hello
- Բարև ձեզ (ba-rev dzez) — Hello (formal/plural)
- Ցտեսություն (tse-te-su-tyun) — Goodbye
- Առայժմ (a-rayzhm) — See you later
- Բարի գիշեր (ba-ri gi-sher) — Good night
Time-of-day greetings
Armenian, like many languages, has a different greeting depending on when you're speaking:
- Բարի լույս (ba-ri luys) — Good morning
- Բարի օր (ba-ri or) — Good day
- Բարի երեկո (ba-ri ye-re-ko) — Good evening
Politeness essentials
- Շնորհակալություն (shnor-ha-ka-lu-tyun) — Thank you
- Խնդրեմ (khən-drem) — Please / You're welcome
- Ներողություն (ne-ro-ghu-tyun) — Sorry / Excuse me
- Ինչպե՞ս եք (inch-pes ek) — How are you? (formal)
- Լավ եմ, շնորհակալություն (lav em, shnor-ha-ka-lu-tyun) — I'm good, thank you
Introducing yourself
- Իմ անունն է... (im a-nunn e...) — My name is...
- Դուք ինչպե՞ս եք կոչվում (duk inch-pes ek koch-vum) — What is your name? (formal)
- Ուրախ եմ ծանոթանալու համար (u-rakh em tsa-no-t'a-na-lu ha-mar) — Nice to meet you
A note on formality
Armenian distinguishes formal and informal "you" the same way French or Spanish does. When in doubt with someone older or someone you've just met, use the formal forms above (դուք rather than դու) — it's the safer default, similar to using "usted" instead of "tú."
Practice these with real audio
Reading a pronunciation guide only gets you so far — Armenian has a few sounds that don't exist in English at all. Head to our Armenian pronunciation guide to hear the tricky ones explained, or start from the Armenian alphabet if you're not yet reading the script.
Once greetings feel natural, the next logical step is common Armenian phrases for travel — the other expressions you'll lean on constantly in your first real conversations.