20+ German Greetings Every Traveler Should Know Before Landing in Germany

Germany just broke its all-time tourism record, welcoming more international visitors than ever before and cementing its place as one of the most visited countries in the world. If you’re planning a trip or already packing your bags, knowing how to greet people in German will make the experience feel completely different.

At Lingopie, we teach languages through real German movies and TV shows, which means our team lives in the nuances of how native speakers actually talk. We've put together this guide to German greetings with that same lens: not just the textbook phrases, but the regional ones, the workplace ones, and the ones that will make a local do a double-take in the best possible way.

Sie or Du: How to Address a German Properly

Before anything else, you need to know this: German has two words for "you," and using the wrong one is more awkward than any mispronounced phrase.

• Sie (always capitalized) is the formal address. Use it with strangers, in professional settings, with older people, and with anyone where respect is the default expectation.
• du is the informal version. Use it with friends, family members, and people you’ve built a genuine rapport with. When addressing more than one person informally, the word is ihr, roughly equivalent to "you all."

One thing to note is that these two registers don't mix. If you're using Sie with someone, your greeting has to match. Saying "Hi" or "Na?" to someone you're formally addressing creates an odd mismatch. Meeting a new colleague, for example, would be "Guten Tag, Herr Müller" with Sie throughout. Catching up with a close friend is "Na, wie geht's?" with du.

When you're unsure, always start with Sie. Germans won't be offended by excess formality, but unearned familiarity can put people off. When someone is comfortable switching, they'll say "Wir können uns duzen" (we can use du with each other), and that's your cue.

Common German greetings

Most German greetings are time-based, which makes them easy to learn and easy to get wrong if you're not paying attention to the clock.

One that trips up almost every German learner is Gute Nacht. It literally means good night, but it's not an arrival greeting. You say Gute Nacht as a farewell when someone is heading to bed, not when you walk through a door. Using it as a hello genuinely confuses native speakers.

As a beginner, it’s recommended to use Hallo for all interactions. It works across all of Germany and most of the German-speaking world. Note that in Switzerland, though, Hallo is reserved for informal situations only.

Informal German greetings

Once you move past formal settings, the range of informal German greetings opens up considerably. Here’s what conversations between German friends, colleagues, and young people in casual situations actually sound like.

Na? deserves a proper explanation because it catches nearly every German learner off guard. It's a two-letter greeting that functions as a complete sentence. When two friends run into each other in Germany, one says Na? and the other says Na? right back, and that counts as a full exchange.

You can extend it to Na, wie geht's? (hey, how's it going?) or use Na du? to greet a specific person, but just Na? alone works fine between German friends. It's more of a verbal head nod than a real question, and using it with a boss or a stranger would feel genuinely strange.

Regional German Greetings

This is where learning German gets genuinely interesting. Different parts of the German-speaking world have their own specific greeting, and using the right regional one shows you understand German culture beyond just textbook phrases.

Northern Germany: Moin

Moin means "hello" and is the standard greeting across Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, and the northern coast generally. Most learners assume it's a morning greeting because it sounds like the French matin or the English "morn," but it isn't tied to any time of day at all. You can say it at 8 AM or when leaving a bar at midnight, and it's equally appropriate.

Moin moin is just an elongated version, though true northerners will tell you doubling it is slightly redundant. If you use it in Hamburg, people will notice it in a good way. Use it in Munich, and they'll just look puzzled.

Southern Germany: Grüß Gott

Grüß Gott means "God greets you" and is the standard hello across Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, and into Austria. It sounds more formal than it actually is: walk into any shop, restaurant, or office in Munich, and you'll hear it used the same casual way Hallo gets used everywhere else. It comes from the longer Grüß dich Gott, but in daily use, it carries no particular religious weight. People say it the same way you'd say "good day" in English, out of habit rather than intention.

The shorter Grüß dich means "greetings to you" and is a slightly warmer, more personal version for someone you already know. In Austria, the choice between Grüß Gott and Guten Tag can carry faint political undertones, with the former associated with more traditional circles, but this is more a social curiosity than something a learner needs to worry about.

Bavaria and Austria: Servus

Servus means both "hello" and "goodbye," which makes it the most practical greeting in this entire list. You say it when you walk in, you say it when you head out, and it works either way. It's casual and warm, common across Bavaria and Austria, and also used among German-speaking communities in parts of Hungary and Slovenia. If you're spending time in the south and want one word that handles both ends of a conversation, Servus is it.

Switzerland: Grüezi

Grüezi means "hello" and is the standard greeting in the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland. Unlike most regional greetings, it works in both formal and informal situations, so you don't need to think twice about who you're addressing. Swiss German pulls from its neighboring languages too: Sali (from the French salut) is common among friends, and Tschau (a Swiss spin on the Italian ciao) works as a casual goodbye.

The Mahlzeit greeting

Mahlzeit literally means "mealtime" and it's the unofficial lunchtime greeting in any German workplace. Around midday, colleagues passing each other in the hallway, kitchen, or on the way out simply say Mahlzeit. The reply is simply Mahlzeit back, or just Danke.

Technically, it evolved from Gesegnete Mahlzeit ("blessed mealtime"), but nobody uses the full phrase anymore. It sounds oddly specific until you're actually working in Germany, at which point you'll say it without thinking every single day.

Just note that you shouldn't use Mahlzeit outside the lunch window. Mahlzeit at 4 PM reads as sarcastic in German, roughly equivalent to "yeah, great" in English.

How to say "How are you?" in German

In English-speaking countries, "How are you?" is essentially a longer version of hello. Nobody expects a real answer. German doesn't work this way. When you ask "Wie geht es Ihnen? (formal) Wie geht es dir? (informal), you’re asking an actual question. Native German speakers may actually tell you how they're doing. Keep that in mind before you ask.

The most common casual version is Wie geht's?, a shortened form used between German friends and in informal situations. Typical responses are "Gut, danke" (good, thanks) or "Nicht schlecht" (not bad).

Don't ask Wie geht es Ihnen? to a cashier or someone passing in a hallway. It reads as oddly personal. Just say Hallo and move on.

Answering the Phone in German

Germans answer the phone differently from most English speakers, and the greeting you use depends entirely on who's calling. For personal calls with people you already know, a simple Hallo works fine.

For calls from unknown numbers, Germans typically open with their last name instead, which throws most learners off the first time they hear it.

Here are the most common phone greetings you'll encounter:

• Hallo? — used for casual calls with friends or family, identical to the regular greeting
• Ja? — a minimal, slightly abrupt answer, common for personal mobile calls
• [Last name] — for example, Fischer or Müller, used when answering calls from unknown numbers
• [Last name], guten Tag — a fuller version combining name and formal greeting, common in semi-professional contexts
• [Company name], [your name], guten Tag — the standard format for answering at a business; all three elements in sequence

Among younger Germans, answering a personal call with just Hallo? or even a casual Na? to a known contact is completely normal. The formal last-name convention is fading with younger generations on mobile, but you'll still hear it regularly in professional and older contexts.

When you're the one calling, it's polite to introduce yourself right away rather than asking who you're speaking to.

• Something like "Guten Tag, hier ist [your name]" (Good day, this is [your name]) is the standard opener for a formal call.
• For casual calls, "Hey, ich bin's, [name]" (Hey, it's me, [name]) works fine with people who have your number.

To end a call, use Auf Wiederhören, which means "until we hear each other again" and is the phone-specific equivalent of Auf Wiedersehen. In casual calls, Tschüss works just as well. You'll also hear "Bis dann" (talk soon) or "Wir sprechen uns" (we'll speak later) as friendly closers between people who know each other well.

German goodbyes

Greetings and farewells are two sides of the same coin in any German-speaking country. Here's what you actually need for goodbyes.

Formal situations

• Auf Wiedersehen is the standard formal goodbye. It literally means "until we see each other again" and it's the German equivalent of a formal farewell in professional settings.
• Auf Wiederhören is for phone calls specifically. It means "until we hear each other again." You'll hear this used by native German speakers when wrapping up a business call.

Informal situations

• Tschüss is the most common casual goodbye. Everyone says it.
• Tschüssi is the affectionate diminutive, more common among women and younger speakers, but used across all ages in casual settings.
• Ciao is borrowed from Italian but is extremely common across Germany in informal settings.
• Bis bald means "see you soon" and works great with people you're planning to see again.
• Bis später means "see you later" for the same day.
• Schönes Wochenende! means "nice weekend!" You'll hear this a lot on Friday afternoons, especially in offices and among colleagues.
• Schönen Tag! is "have a nice day" and works as a warm closer in any casual situation.

One more useful goodbye: Bye bye is also used, especially among younger Germans and in cities. It's borrowed directly from English and doesn't raise any eyebrows.

Physical greetings in German

Germans shake hands more readily than most English speakers, including in situations that might feel semi-casual. A firm, confident handshake is appropriate in professional settings and even in some social ones. Don’t let it linger, but don’t make it limp either.

Hugs and cheek kisses are reserved for people you genuinely know well: close friends and family members. How many cheek kisses varies by region, too. For instance, in Germany, it's typically a one-sided hug between friends, while in Austria, it's more likely a two-cheek kiss in closer circles.

The simplest rule: let the German person lead. Follow their cue for anything beyond a handshake, and you'll never misstep.

Common greeting mistakes to avoid

Even intermediate German speakers make these. Here's what to watch out for:

• Mixing formal and informal registers. If you're using Sie with someone, don't greet them with Hi or Na?. It's like calling your professor "dude" while writing them a formal email. Keep your greeting level consistent with your pronoun choice.
• Using Guten Morgen in the afternoon. Time-based greetings are specific. Guten Morgen works until around 11 AM. After that, switch to Guten Tag for good afternoon situations and then Guten Abend for evenings. Using Guten Morgen at 3 PM will get you a strange look.
• Saying Gute Nacht as a greeting. Gute Nacht is a farewell for bedtime, not an arrival greeting. It means "good night" in the same way English does: it's for when someone's wrapping up their evening.
• Using Moin in Bavaria. Moin is northern Germany. Take it south and native speakers in Bavaria will immediately know you're not from around there. Use Grüß Gott or Servus in the south.
• Treating "How are you?" as small talk. Asking Wie geht es dir? carries more weight than the English greeting equivalent. If you ask, be ready to actually listen to the answer.

How to actually get greetings to stick

You can memorize every greeting on this list and still freeze up the first time a native German speaker says "Na?" to you, because reading a list and hearing greetings in real life are completely different experiences. The solution? Immersion!

Lingopie is the king of immersion, letting you watch German TV shows and movies with interactive subtitles so you pick up not just the words but the tone, the context, and the moment they belong to. Try it free here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common greeting in German?

Hallo is the most universally understood way to say hello in German. It works in both formal and informal situations, with most age groups, and across all of Germany. In formal settings, Guten Tag is the standard greeting. For time-specific occasions, Guten Morgen (good morning), Guten Tag (good afternoon), and Guten Abend (good evening) are the go-to options.

What does Grüß Gott mean?

Grüß Gott is a common greeting in southern Germany and Austria. It literally means "God greets you" (closer to "may God bless you" or "god greets"), and it functions as a standard hello in those regions. Despite the religious phrasing, even non-religious native speakers use it without any spiritual meaning attached. It's simply the regional way to say hello.

What is the difference between Wie geht es Ihnen and Wie geht es dir?

Wie geht es Ihnen is the formal version of "How are you?" and uses Sie (the formal "you"). You use it in professional settings, with strangers, or with people older than you. Wie geht es dir is the informal version, using du, and it's for close friends, family members, and casual situations. The shortened casual version, Wie geht's?, is what you'll hear most often in everyday informal speech.

How do you say goodbye formally in German?

Auf Wiedersehen is the standard formal goodbye in German. It literally means "until we see each other again" and is appropriate for professional settings and formal situations. On the phone, use Auf Wiederhören instead (until we hear each other again). In informal settings, Tschüss is by far the most common option.

Is Guten Tag formal or informal?

Guten Tag is a formal greeting. It's your safest option in professional settings, with strangers, or in any formal situation. In informal settings with German friends or young people, Hallo or Hi are more natural. Germans often shorten Guten Tag to just Tag in casual contexts, which bridges the gap between formal and informal.

What does Na mean in German?

Na is one of the most common informal greetings among native German speakers. It functions similarly to "hey" or "what's up?" in English. Between German friends, just saying Na? is a complete greeting, and the typical reply is Na? back. It can also combine with other phrases: Na, wie geht's? (Hey, how's it going?) or Na du? (Hey you?). Never use Na in formal situations or with strangers.