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How To Say Hello In Lakota Sioux + Other Useful Lakota Greetings

Wondering how to say hello in Lakota Sioux? 

This post covers how to greet people in Lakota and teaches you some essential phrases including ‘hello’, ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’ and ‘good night’. 

It also covers some other greeting etiquette such as handshakes and gestures.

Hopefully you’ll leave this page knowing some essential Lakota Sioux greetings.

How To Say Hello In Lakota

If you want to say hello in Lakota then you can do so with the following phrases:

  • Hello (for men) – Háu (How)
  • Hello (for women)Háŋ (Hahn)

Háu and háŋ are the most common ways to say hello in Lakota Sioux. You can use them in any situation.

Háu is pronounced exactly the same as the English word ‘how’.

If you are male then you should use háu to say hello. If you are female then you should use háŋ to say hello in Lakota. 

  • Good day – Aŋpétu wašté (An-peh-tu wah-sh-teh)
  • It’s good to see you – Taŋyáŋ waŋčhíyaŋke (Tahn-yahn wahn-chi-ahn-kay)

These phrases are alternate ways to greet someone in Lakota Sioux. You can use these in any situation.

Check out the video below to hear the pronunciation of these phrases in Lakota by a native speaker:

How To Say Other Greetings In Lakota e.g. ‘Good Morning’

You may want to use some other greetings in Lakota such as ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’ and ‘good night’. 

Check out these other Lakota Sioux greetings below:

How To Say Good Morning In Lakota

To say good morning in Lakota Sioux, you can say:

  • Good morning – Híŋhaŋni láȟčiŋ (Hee-hani lakh-cheen)
  • Good morning – Híŋhaŋni wašté (Hee-hani wah-sh-teh)

Both of the above phrases mean ‘good morning’ in Lakota Sioux. You can use them interchangeably.

You can use these phrases at any point in the morning up until around 12PM.

How To Say Good Afternoon In Lakota

To say good afternoon in Lakota Sioux, you can say:

  • Good afternoon – Aŋpétu wašté (An-peh-tu wah-sh-teh)

This phrase literally means ‘good day’ but can be used to say good afternoon.

How To Say Good Evening In Lakota

To say good evening in Lakota Sioux, you can say:

  • Good evening – Ȟtayétu wašté (Kh-tay-eh-tu wah-sh-teh)

Use this phrase in the evening time after 6PM.

How To Say Good Night In Lakota

To say good night in Lakota Sioux, you can say:

  • Good night – Haŋhépi wašté (Hah-heh-pee wah-sh-teh)

You can use this phrase as a parting greeting when you are going to sleep.

Lakota Greeting Etiquette 

The most common way to greet people in Lakota culture is with a soft, fingertip handshake. 

In traditional Lakota families, children are taught to avoid physical touch and eye contact when meeting new people, especially those of a different gender. This is seen as respectful. 

This isn’t as common today however many traditional families still follow these practices.


Thanks for reading this post on how to greet someone in Lakota. Continue your conversation by learning how to say ‘happy birthday’ in Lakota.

Hopefully you now know how to say ‘hello’ in Lakota Sioux and also how to say ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’ and ‘good night’ in Lakota.

You can find out more about the Lakota language here.

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