Bengali Greetings: Hello, Goodbye and How Are You
Bengali has no single neutral 'hello'. Which greeting you use depends on who you are talking to, and the choice is more about religion and register than about time of day. This is the part phrasebooks get wrong.
| English | Bengali | In English letters |
|---|---|---|
| Hello (to a Muslim)the usual greeting in Bangladesh | আসসালামু আলাইকুম | assalamu alaikum |
| Reply to italways reply in kind | ওয়ালাইকুম আসসালাম | walaikum assalam |
| Hello (to a Hindu)usual in West Bengal; hands together | নমস্কার | nomoshkar |
| How are you? (familiar) | কেমন আছো? | kemon achho? |
| How are you? (respectful) | কেমন আছেন? | kemon achhen? |
| I am well | ভালো আছি | bhalo achhi |
| And you? | আপনি কেমন আছেন? | apni kemon achhen? |
| Good morningwritten more than spoken | শুভ সকাল | shubho shokal |
| Goodbyeformal, almost final | বিদায় | biday |
| See you againwhat people actually say | আবার দেখা হবে | abar dekha hobe |
| Good night | শুভ রাত্রি | shubho ratri |
| What is your name? | আপনার নাম কী? | apnar nam ki? |
| My name is … | আমার নাম … | amar nam … |
| Have you eaten?a greeting, not a question | খেয়েছেন? | kheyechhen? |
What a phrasebook will not tell you
Choose by who they are, not by the time of day
In Bangladesh, assalamu alaikum is the everyday greeting and is used by Muslims, who are the large majority. Nomoshkar is the Hindu greeting and the usual one in West Bengal. If you do not know, kemon achhen ('how are you') works for anyone and avoids the question entirely — it is the safest greeting a learner can carry.
'Have you eaten?' is a greeting
Kheyechhen? is asked constantly and is not really about food. It means roughly 'are you all right, are you looked after'. Answering with a simple yes is fine. If you are in someone's house, expect to be fed regardless of your answer.
Goodbye is rarer than you expect
Biday is heavy — closer to 'farewell' than to 'bye'. In ordinary parting people say abar dekha hobe ('we'll meet again'), or simply achhi ('I'm off'). Many just use the English 'bye'.
achho or achhen
Kemon achho is for friends and people younger than you; kemon achhen is for elders, strangers and anyone senior. The -en ending is the respectful one, and it runs through the whole language. Getting it wrong is the most visible mistake a learner makes.
Questions
What is the most common greeting in Bangladesh?
Assalamu alaikum, in ordinary daily use by most people. The reply is walaikum assalam.
Is nomoshkar used in Bangladesh?
Yes, among Hindu Bangladeshis, and it is the standard greeting in West Bengal. It is not wrong anywhere, but assalamu alaikum is far more common in Bangladesh.
What is a safe greeting if I do not know the person's religion?
Kemon achhen? ('How are you?'). It is warm, respectful and carries no religious marking at all.
How do I say goodbye casually?
Abar dekha hobe ('see you again'). Biday is correct but sounds like a real farewell rather than a casual parting.