# Ways to Say Hello in French Beyond Bonjour 🇫🇷
> Learn how to say hello in French beyond "bonjour" and "bonsoir!" Discover the real way to greet someone in France with our intro to French greetings.
**URL:** https://migaku.com/blog/language-fun/french-hello
**Last Updated:** 2025-06-23
**Tags:** discussion, vocabulary
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Bonjour, fellow French learner!
Whether you're visiting France for the first time or diving into the French language from afar, one thing is certain: greetings matter. Knowing how to say hello in French isn’t just about memorizing one phrase—it’s about understanding when, where, and how to use each greeting naturally.
In this post, we’ll walk you through the most common and useful ways to greet someone in French. From the essential _bonjour_ to casual alternatives and cultural nuances like _la bise_ (the kiss), you’ll leave this article ready to say hello like a local—whether in person, over email, or in your next French class.
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## Bonjour, the most common way to say Hello in French
You can't get away without knowing _bonjour_. This essential French greeting will take you just about everywhere, no matter your level of fluency. From cafés to supermarkets, doctors’ offices to train stations—saying _bonjour_ when you walk in is more than polite. It’s expected. Failing to do so can even lead to a cold shoulder or less-than-helpful service.
Think of _bonjour_ as a baseline of French etiquette. Don’t overthink it—just say it.
For English speakers—note that, despite the J, _bonjour_ sounds more like **bohn-zhoor**. To be more specific, the **"j"** in _jour_ is pronounced like the **s** in “measure.” You'll know that you've got this sound right if you can pronounce it in a flowing fashion, with no pauses or interruptions of airflow.
> Use _bonjour_ in all formal situations, or when speaking to someone you don’t know well.
It’s appropriate from early morning until early evening. After that, the more fitting phrase is _bonsoir_ (“good evening”). That said, many people still say _bonjour_ at night, especially when meeting someone for the first time. It’s not considered rude—just a bit less conventional.
If you’re in a more casual context and already know the people you’re speaking with, you’ll likely want to switch things up and use _salut_ or some of the other greetings we’ll look at below.
For now, though, here's a few French phrases you'll hear often that include bonjour:
- Bonjour, madame ! Â
 _Good day, ma’am!_
- Bonjour tout le monde !
 _Hello everyone!_
- Bonsoir, monsieur. Â
 _Good evening, sir._
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## Coucou ! Some more casual French greetings
Once you've got _bonjour_ and _bonsoir_ down, it's time to explore how native French speakers _actually_ greet each other in more relaxed settings. Friends, family, and even coworkers (depending on your relationship) may skip the formalities entirely in favor of these casual alternatives.
Here are some common ways to say hi in French and how to use them:
| French Greeting | Meaning     | Tone / When to Use                   | Example Sentence | Audio |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Salut       | Hi / Hey    | Informal settings;
use with friends, peers, children    | Salut, ça va ?
_Hi, how’s it going?_ | |
| Coucou      | Hey there / Hiya | Very informal, playful;
often used with kids or close friends | Coucou toi !
_Hey you!_ | |
| Yo        | Yo       | Informal;
borrowed from English, youth slang   | Yo mec, quoi de neuf ?
_Yo dude, what’s up?_ | |
| Wesh       | Yo / Sup    | Informal;
urban slang, can sound edgy       | Wesh, t’es là ?
_Yo, you here?_ | |
| Rebonjour     | Hello again   | Use when greeting someone
a _second_ time in one day  | Rebonjour ! On se retrouve encore.
_Hello again! We meet again._ | |
While _coucou_ and _wesh_ are friendly in the right contexts, they can feel overly familiar or inappropriate in formal settings. Use them only when you’re sure the tone is right.
> **đź’ˇ By the way đź’ˇ**
It's also common now for French people to use English words such as “Hey” or “Hello” to greet someone.
## What to say _after_ (and before) you say hi in French
So, naturally, it'd be kinda boring if you only ever said _hello_ in English, wouldn't it? Well, the same goes for French speakers. While _bonjour_ is always safe, it's not the only greeting you'll hear.
So, when you're ready to spice things up a bit...
### After saying salut, ask people how they are
In most French conversations, _hello_ isn’t the end—it’s just the beginning. Very often, greetings are followed by a quick check-in question like _ça va ?_ or _quoi de neuf ?_ These aren’t just pleasantries; they’re part of showing genuine interest in the other person.
| Phrase     | Meaning       | Context                  | Example | Audio |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Ça va ?     | How’s it going?    | Very common and casual           | Salut ! Ça va ?
_Hey! How’s it going?_ | |
| Comment ça va ? | How are you?     | Slightly more formal            | Bonjour, comment ça va aujourd’hui ?
_Good day, how are you today?_ | |
| Quoi de neuf ? | What’s up?      | Friendly, curious, casual         | Coucou ! Quoi de neuf depuis la dernière fois ?
_Hey! What’s up since last time?_ | |
Interestingly, in French culture, it’s completely normal to respond to these questions with honesty—even if that means admitting you’re tired, annoyed, or just not having a great day. Don’t be alarmed if someone answers _ça ne va pas très bien_ (things aren’t going so well). It’s not necessarily dramatic—it’s just real.
### La bise: Do French people kiss to greet someone?
Yes, the French famously greet with a kiss—or rather, a series of air kisses called _la bise_. But before you pucker up, let’s break it down.
La bise usually involves touching cheeks and making a kissing sound in the air. Contrary to some expectations, people rarely make actual lip-to-skin contact—it’s more symbolic than intimate.
Here are just some examples among hundreds of regional variations for la bise:
| Region     | Number of Kisses | Starting Cheek | Notes              |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | --------------- | --------------------------------- |
| Paris      | 2         | Right      | Standard greeting in the capital |
| Poitou    | 1         | Right or Left  | Quick and simple        |
| Provence    | 3 or 4      | Varies     | Can be confusing—follow the lead! |
| Bretagne   | 3 or 4      | Varies     | Also depends on local norms  |
> _Tip_: When in doubt, just follow the other person’s lead. If they lean in, go for it. If they go for one cheek, mirror it. It’s okay to hesitate—it happens even to locals!
In formal or professional settings, especially at work, _la bise_ is becoming less common. Traditionally, men would shake hands with men, and exchange kisses with women. These days, a simple handshake is often more appropriate for everyone.
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## Phrases for French emails and some notes on formality
Need to make a booking via email? Want to contact a French teacher or reach out to a coworker? Email greetings follow different rules than in-person conversations—but they’re just as important.
For most everyday exchanges, you can simply start your email with:
**Bonjour,**
That’s enough! No need to worry about whether to include first names or titles unless it’s a more formal situation.
If you're writing to someone in a position of authority or someone you don’t know well, it’s better to use a more formal tone.
Here’s a quick guide:
| French Term | English Equivalent | When to Use |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Cher     | Dear (masculine)   | Formal greeting for men |
| Chère    | Dear (feminine)   | Formal greeting for women |
| Monsieur (M.) | Mr. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â | Use with last name |
| Madame (Mme) | Mrs./Ms. Â Â Â Â Â | Use with last name |
| Mademoiselle (Mlle) | Miss    | Rarely used anymore; outdated in formal use |
> _Note_: _Mademoiselle_ has been largely phased out in official documents since 2012, as it was seen as discriminatory. These days, _Madame_ is used regardless of a woman’s marital status.
_Example Email Greeting_
- Chère Madame Dupont, Je me permets de vous contacter au sujet de notre rendez-vous prévu la semaine prochaine.  _Dear Ms. Dupont, I'm reaching out about our scheduled meeting next week._
## Stop memorizing French words; here's a better way to learn French
This has (hopefully) been a pretty solid introduction to the various ways to say hello in French!
... but, if you want to learn French, the best way to do that _isn't_ reading random articles about French words (in English).
> To learn French, you need to interact with French
For example—say that you're watching a French blog on YouTube, as you do.
In the course of watching normal French people do normal French things, you're naturally going to stumble upon a French greeting or two... like _coucou_.
If that word is new to you—you can click directly on it in the subtitles. We'll show you what it means, and if our dictionary doesn't have a definition that satisfies you, you can have AI explain what the word means in context.
In this case, this happens to be a pretty perfect depiction of _coucou_, so I've clicked the orange button in the top-right corner of the dictionary to make a flashcard:
As you can see, it includes your line of dialogue, a snippet of your show's audio, and a screenshot of whatever was on-screen when your selected word (or phrase) was said.
From here, we utilize a [spaced-repetition algorithm](migaku.com/blog/language-fun/spaced-repetition-language-learning) to periodically nudge you to review the word, ensuring it eventually works its way into your long-term memory.
It's really that simple—consume French media you're interested in, lean on Migaku if you don't quite understand what you see or hear, and then make flashcards out of anything you'd like to remember.
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## Greetings in French, check! Now go make a good first impression.
We've only just learned to say hello, but it's already time to say goodbye!
In parting, just remember the Golden Rule of Language Learning:
> If you consume media you enjoy in French, and you understand some of the messages and sentences within that media, you will make progress. _Period_.
Now, go kick some _cul_ 🫡
(And, also, _bonne chance_ with whoever it is that you're trying to introduce yourself to!)