Wondering how to say hello in Wolof?
This post covers how to greet people in Wolof 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 Wolof greetings.
Table of Contents
How To Say Hello In Wolof
If you want to say hello in Wolof then you can do so with the following phrase:
- Hello – Salaam aleekum
The phrase ‘salaam aleekum’ is actually an Arabic phrase which has been adopted into Wolof, however it is one of the most popular ways to say hello in Senegal.
Salaam aleekum is the most common way to say hello in Senegal as it is a largely Muslim country however this greeting can be used by non-Muslims too.
This phrase literally means ‘peace be upon you’. If someone says this phrase to you, you can reply with:
- Hello to you (reply) – Maalekum salaam
This response literally means ‘peace also be upon you’.
Other ways you can say hello in Wolof are:
- Hello (to 1 person) – Na nga def
- Hello (to multiple people) – Na ngeen def
These are other common ways to greet people in Wolof. These phrases can also be used to say both hello and how are you.
Continue your conversation by learning how to say ‘how are you?’ in Wolof.
How To Say Other Greetings In Wolof e.g. ‘Good Morning’
You may want to use some other greetings in Wolof such as ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’ and ‘good night’.
Check out these other Wolof greetings below:
How To Say Good Morning In Wolof
To say good morning in Wolof, you can say:
- Good morning – Jàmm nga fanane?
This phrase is used to say ‘good morning’ but it literally translates to ‘how was your night?’.
To respond you can say:
- Very good – Jàmm rekk
This response literally means ‘peace only’ meaning your night was peaceful.
How To Say Good Afternoon & Good Evening In Wolof
To say good afternoon and good evening in Wolof, you can say:
- Good afternoon/evening – Jàmm nga yendoo?
This phrase is used to say both ‘good afternoon’ and ‘good evening’. It literally translates to ‘how was your day?’.
To respond you can say:
- Very good – Jàmm rekk
This response literally means ‘peace only’ meaning your day was peaceful.
A more informal alternative is:
- Good afternoon/evening – Naka suba si?
This phrase means ‘how was your morning?’ but is more informal than the first phrase.
To respond you can say:
- Very good – Suba saangi nii rekk
Another way to say good evening in Wolof is:
- Good evening – Naka ngon si?
How To Say Good Night In Wolof
To say good night in Wolof, you can say:
- Good night – Nu fanaan jàmm
Check out the video below to hear the pronunciation of some of these phrases in Wolof by a native speaker:
Wolof Greeting Etiquette
Greetings are very important in Wolof culture and are seen as a sign of respect to others.
Wolof greetings can become very long. After saying hello, you would usually then ask how the person is.
After this you will ask how their family is, how their friends are, how work is and so on. It is seen as respectful to ask these questions.
You are expected to do this before asking other questions or beginning a discussion even if it does seem long.
Handshakes are common especially if you are meeting someone for the first time.
Although Senegal is a largely Muslim country, in general the Senegalese are fine with shaking hands with someone of the opposite gender (this is largely frowned upon in other Muslim countries).
If the person you are greeting is a family member or close friend, you may greet them with a hug or a kiss.
You would usually kiss them 3 times beginning with the left cheek then the right then the left again.
Thanks for reading this post on how to greet someone in Wolof. Continue your conversation by learning how to say ‘how are you?’ in Wolof.
Hopefully you now know how to say ‘hello’ in Wolof and also how to say ‘good morning’, ‘good afternoon’ and ‘good night’ in Wolof.
You can find out more about the Wolof language here.
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