Russian Greetings: 15 Ways to Say “Hello” in Russian

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The two Russian greetings you need first are привет (privyét) for an informal “hi” and здравствуйте (zdrávstvuyte) for a polite “hello”. The second one looks intimidating, but you don't need perfect pronunciation before you start using it.

This guide gives you 15 Russian greetings and related expressions, including time-of-day phrases, telephone language and expressions for welcoming someone after a journey. Each entry tells you what it means, where it fits and what could sound odd in the wrong setting.

A note from the Fluent in 3 Months team before we get started: You can chat away in Russian for at least 15 minutes with the “Fluent in 3 Months” method. All it takes is 90 days. Tap this link to find out more.

Russian Greetings and Related Expressions

Russian greeting choice depends on your relationship, the setting, whether you are speaking to one person or a group, and why you are meeting. A simple “formal versus informal” rule helps at the start, but the full situation matters.

Situation	Russian	Approximate pronunciation
Informal, one person you know	Привет!	privyét
Polite singular or a group	Здравствуйте!	zdrást-vuy-tye
Morning	Доброе утро!	dóbroye útro
Daytime	Добрый день!	dóbryy dyen’
Evening	Добрый вечер!	dóbryy vécher
On the telephone	Алло!	alló

The transliterations here help you map the Russian spelling rather than provide an exact phonetic transcription. The accent mark shows the stressed syllable. Where everyday pronunciation differs from the spelling, the entry explains it. Listen to Russian audio and copy a real speaker as soon as you can.

1. “Hi” in Russian: Привет (privyét)

Привет is the everyday informal “hi”. Use it with friends, family and people you would address with informal singular ты. It can also greet an informal group, especially as Привет всем! (“Hi, everyone!”).

When I am in Russia, привет is my default with people I already know. With a stranger, an official, a customer-facing worker or anyone I would address as вы, I begin with здравствуйте.

You can answer Привет! with the same word: Привет!

2. “Hello” in Russian: Здравствуйте (zdrávstvuyte)

Здравствуйте is the standard polite “hello”. Use it for polite singular address with вы and when greeting more than one person. It is the safest opening when you do not yet know which register fits.

In ordinary pronunciation, the first в in the spelling is often not pronounced. A practical approximation is zdrást-vuy-tye. The stress falls on the first syllable and the middle cluster becomes smoother with practice.

The word is historically connected with здравствовать, “to be well”. For a learner choosing a greeting today, its useful meaning is simply “hello”. Reply with Здравствуйте!

3. A Colloquial “Hello” in Russian: Здрасте (zdráste)

Здрасте is a conventional colloquial contraction of здравствуйте. You may hear it in relaxed everyday exchanges, but it is not a tidy halfway point between formal здравствуйте and friendly привет.

Tone matters. Здрасте can sound casual, abrupt, humorous or even surprised, depending on the delivery and context. Recognise it first; use здравствуйте when you need a reliably polite greeting.

4. An Affectionate “Hi” in Russian: Приветик (privyétik)

Приветик adds the diminutive suffix -ик to привет. It can sound affectionate, playful or deliberately cute between people who are already close.

This is not simply a warmer version for any adult you meet. Relationship and tone do the work, so learners are safer using привет until they have heard приветик used naturally in their own circle.

5. “Hello” on the Telephone: Алло / Алё (alló / alyó)

Алло is the usual Russian word for answering the telephone. Алё is a colloquial variant you may also hear. These are telephone formulas, not an English “hello” performed with a Russian accent.

For an in-person greeting, choose привет, здравствуйте or a time-of-day expression instead.

6. “Hey” in Russian: Здорово (zdoróvo)

Здоро́во! is a very informal “hey”, especially common in casual speech between men. It can sound too familiar in the wrong relationship, so listen before making it your default.

Stress changes the meaning: здоро́во means “hi”, while здо́рово means “brilliant” or “great”. The written letters are the same, which makes listening practice more useful than memorising the spelling alone.

7. “Good Morning” in Russian: Доброе утро (dóbroye útro)

Доброе утро means “good morning”. Утро (“morning”) is neuter, so the adjective takes the neuter form доброе.

Use it in the morning or when greeting someone after they wake. The natural reply is the same phrase: Доброе утро!

8. “Good Day” in Russian: Добрый день (dóbryy dyen’)

Добрый день is a neutral, polite daytime greeting. It works in shops, workplaces, appointments and introductions without needing a rigid switch at exactly 12:00.

День (“day”) is masculine, which is why the adjective appears as добрый. Reply with Добрый день!

9. “Good Evening” in Russian: Добрый вечер (dóbryy vécher)

Добрый вечер is the standard polite evening greeting. The boundary between “day” and “evening” follows the situation and local routine rather than one universal clock time.

10. “Goodnight” in Russian: Доброй ночи (dóbray nóchi)

Доброй ночи means “goodnight”, but it is normally a farewell or a wish before sleep, not a greeting when you arrive somewhere late. Greet someone in the evening with добрый вечер.

Доброй ночи uses the genitive case in an understood wish such as “I wish you a good night”. This is a useful example of how Russian cases can remain inside a fixed everyday phrase. Our guide to Russian cases explains the wider system.

11. “Welcome” in Russian: Добро пожаловать (dobró pozhálovat’)

Добро пожаловать is the fixed expression for welcoming someone to a place, event or group. You will see it on signs and hear it from hosts. It does not change for formal versus informal address.

12. “Welcome” after a Journey: С приездом (s priyézdom)

С приездом! congratulates or welcomes someone on their arrival, especially after a journey by train, car or another non-flight route. It is something you say after the person arrives, not a general substitute for “hello”.

The construction uses с plus the instrumental form приездом, literally something like “with [your] arrival”.

13. “Welcome” after a Flight: С прилётом (s prilyótom)

С прилётом! is the matching expression for someone who has arrived by air. Прилёт is an arrival by flight, and прилётом is its instrumental form after с.

14. A Military Greeting in Russian: Здравия желаю (zdráviya zheláyu)

Здравия желаю literally means “I wish you health” and is a formal military greeting used within military service. It is worth recognising in films, television or historical material, but it is not an everyday greeting for a learner to use as a joke.

15. “Long Time No See” in Russian: Сколько лет, сколько зим! (skól’ko let, skól’ko zim!)

Сколько лет, сколько зим! is an informal exclamation for meeting someone after a long absence. The literal image is “How many summers, how many winters!”, while the natural English equivalent is “Long time no see!”

Save it for someone you already know. It would be an odd opening with a new acquaintance.

Choose a Russian Greeting You Can Use Today

Start with three reliable choices: привет for an informal greeting with one person you know or a familiar group, здравствуйте for a polite greeting to one person or a group, and the appropriate доброе утро, добрый день or добрый вечер when the time of day is useful.

1. Listen to one native recording and mark the stressed syllable.
2. Say the greeting and its matching reply aloud five times.
3. Choose a real person and setting where that register fits.
4. Use it in your next conversation, then notice what the other person says back.

If Cyrillic is slowing you down, learn the letters with our Russian alphabet guide. You can also use this collection of Russian learning resources to move from a greeting into your first short exchange.