Ukrainian Greetings: Pronunciation and Basic Phrases

Learn common Ukrainian greetings, how to pronounce them, and when to use formal or informal language in a short conversation.

Common Ukrainian greetings

Ukrainian uses different greetings depending on how formal the situation is.

Ukrainian	Meaning	Use
Привіт!	Hi!	Informal: friends, classmates, peers
Добрий день!	Good day! / Hello!	Polite and formal; suitable during the day
Як справи?	How are things? / How are you?	Informal, usually after Привіт
Добре, дякую.	Good, thank you.	A common reply
Мене звати …	My name is …	Introducing yourself

For a more formal “How are you?”, use Як Ви? or Як Ваші справи?. The pronoun Ви is capitalized when politely addressing one person in writing.

Pronunciation guide

The stress mark shows the syllable said most strongly.

Приві́т — pryh-VEET
The Ukrainian и is a short vowel between English i in bit and u in put.
До́брий день — DOH-bryy den’
The р is lightly rolled or tapped. The soft sign ь in день softens the final н; it is not pronounced as its own sound.
Як спра́ви? — yak SPRAH-vy?
Say я like ya. The final и again is the Ukrainian sound y.
До́бре, дя́кую. — DOH-breh, DYA-ku-yu
дя begins with a soft dy sound, similar to dya.
Мене́ зва́ти … — meh-NEH ZVAH-ty
The letter е is usually like the e in met.

A short worked dialogue

Here is a natural informal exchange:

A: Привіт! Як справи?
Pryvít! Yak správy?
Hi! How are you?

B: Добре, дякую. Мене звати Олена.
Dóbre, dyákuyu. Mené zváty Oléna.
Good, thank you. My name is Olena.

To make the greeting more polite, replace Привіт with Добрий день. Avoid using Привіт in very formal situations, such as speaking to an unfamiliar official or a professor.

Check yourself

1.
How would you say “Hi!” informally in Ukrainian?
Show the answer
Привіт! Pronounce it pryh-VEET.
2.
Translate: “Good, thank you.”
Show the answer
Добре, дякую. Pronounce it DOH-breh, DYA-ku-yu.
3.
Which greeting is more appropriate in a formal daytime setting: Привіт or Добрий день?
Show the answer
Добрий день! It is a polite, formal greeting meaning “Good day” or “Hello.”
4.
Put these parts into a short introduction: Мене звати, Привіт, Як справи?
Show the answer
Привіт! Мене звати … Як справи? — “Hi! My name is … How are you?”

Written with Kuest's AI tutor from a study session and checked before publishing; no personal details are included. Spot a mistake? Tell us.