10 Ways To Say Hello & Goodbye In The Most Hospitable Country In The World

Türkiye is a country famed for its hospitality. It's played home to practically hundreds of different civilizations over thousands of years, it's home to a myriad of different nationalities and cultures, and of course it's a home for literally millions of tourists every year. So communication of this hospitality is a pretty important part of the everyday experience in Türkiye, and we've got the words to prove it! Check out 10 different ways to say Hello & Goodbye in Turkish, so you can join in the hospitality on your next trip to the Home of Hospitality!

Merhaba

"Merhaba" is probably the most standard greeting in Türkiye, meaning "hello" or "welcome." It can be used any time of day, and is usually the first thing any Turkish friend you've made will say to you when you first meet them!

Güle Güle

"Güle güle" literally means "may you leave smiling." It's used when someone takes their leave of you, and is a general wish that they be happy. What a nice way to say goodbye! 😊

Hoşçakal

"Hoşçakal", or Hoşçakalın for plural, is sort of the opposite of Güle güle as it's used when you're the person leaving. It literally means "stay well."

Allah'a Ismarladık

"Allah'a ısmarladık" means literally "hope to God we shall meet again" and is typically used, like Hoşçakal, if you're the person leaving.

Görüşürüz, Görüşmek Üzere

These are probably the most common ways to say goodbye in Turkish, and mean literally "We'll see each other" or "until we meet again." Görüşürüz is less formal and used frequently amongst friends, whereas görüşmek üzere is a little more formal and can be used in just about any setting.

Selamün Aleykum, Aleyküm Selam

These are greetings derived from Arabic, and "Aleyküm Selam" is in answer to "Selamün Aleyküm". It means literally "God's peace be upon you," with the response being simply "And may His peace be upon you too."

Selam

"Selam" is a less formal version of Aleyküm Selam, and can also be used in a wide variety of contexts. It's a standard greeting and is probably about as commonly used as "merhaba". While it's used often in informal settings, it's not rude if used in formal settings as well.

Bye Bye

You'll never guess the etymology of this farewell! 😊 This has become more and more commonly used in recent years, as it has around the globe, and you'll hear this and be understood easily when you use it.

Ne Haber

Also written (and spoken) as "n'haber" this means essentially "what's up". It literally means "what is the news" and is the common way of greeting between friends. As with most similar greetings, the answer to "what is the news" is typically "I'm good" ("Iyiyim") and not an actual list of the latest news. 😊

Günaydın, İyi Akşamlar, İyi Günler, İyi Geceler

Good morning, good afternoon, good day and good evening. These can be used both as greetings and as farewells, though "günaydın" is most often a greeting while the other three are most often farewells.