The most common and useful ways to say hello in Arabic are:

  • السلام عليكم
    • In Arabic script: السلام عليكم
    • Pronounced: as-salāmu ʿalaykum
    • Meaning: “Peace be upon you.”
    • Very common across the Arab world, works in almost any situation, and is slightly formal but used casually too.
  • مرحبًا
    • In Arabic script: مرحبًا
    • Pronounced: marḥaban
    • Meaning: “Hello” or “Welcome.”
    • Taught in many beginner courses as the standard one-word “hello,” and works in both polite and neutral contexts.
  • أهلًا
    • In Arabic script: أهلًا
    • Pronounced: ahlan
    • Meaning: “Hello” / “Welcome.”
    • Very common and friendly; you’ll hear it a lot in many Arab countries.

A quick, natural mini-dialogue could be:

  • You: السلام عليكم (as-salāmu ʿalaykum)
  • Other person: وعليكم السلام (wa ʿalaykumu s-salām) – “And peace be upon you.”

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.