The quick answer: hello in Polish is cześć (CHESH-tch) with friends, or dzień dobry (jehn DOH-brih) with everyone else. Press play to hear them — then learn which one to use where. 👇
Cześć!
CHESH-tch · hello / hi (informal) — tap to hear it spoken
🐌 Play slow version
All 9 ways to say hello in Polish
| Polish | Say it like | Use it when… | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cześć | CHESH-tch | friends & people your age | |
| Dzień dobry | jehn DOH-brih | strangers, elders, shops — the safe one | |
| Dobry wieczór | DOH-brih VYEH-choor | formal, after ~6 pm | |
| Hej | hey | casual — any age | |
| Siema | SHYEH-mah | slang — close friends only | |
| Witaj | VEE-tie | warm “welcome”, a bit literary | |
| Witam | VEE-tahm | host greeting guests — careful in emails! | |
| Halo | HAH-loh | answering the phone only | |
| Serwus | SEHR-voos | old-school friendly, southern charm |
💡 Pronunciation tip: the tricky ending of cześć — ść — is a soft “shch”, like the middle of “fresh cheese” said quickly. If it won’t come out today, hej works almost everywhere and sounds exactly like English “hey”.
Which one should you actually use?
Polish greetings follow one simple social rule: cześć is for people you’d hug, dzień dobry is for people you’d shake hands with. That single sentence carries you through ninety percent of Poland.
🇵🇱 The elevator rule: in Poland you greet strangers in elevators, waiting rooms and small shops. Walk into a bakery and say dzień dobry to the whole room — you’ll get a quiet chorus of it back. Silence reads as rude.
One more thing our community asks about constantly: witam. It literally means “I welcome you”, which quietly implies you’re the host and they’re the guest. Charming at your own front door — but starting an email to a Polish colleague with Witam is a famous little faux pas. Stick to dzień dobry in writing.
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Practice: would you survive in Warsaw?
1. You enter a small shop at 10 am. What do you say?
Dzień dobry! — a shop counts as strangers-territory, so the polite daytime greeting is the one. Cześć to a shop assistant you don’t know would feel oddly chummy.
2. Your Polish friend texts you “hej!” — how do you reply?
Hej / cześć / siema — any informal one works. Between friends, Polish greetings are relaxed; siema signals you’re properly “in”.
3. Your phone rings from an unknown number…
Halo? — on the phone, Poles answer with halo (or “słucham?” — “I’m listening”). Saying cześć to an unknown caller would be as odd as answering an English call with “hiya!”.
Frequently asked questions
Is cześć formal or informal?
Cześć is informal — perfect for friends, family and people your own age. In shops, offices, or with anyone older than you, switch to dzień dobry. When in doubt, dzień dobry never offends.
Can I say cześć when leaving too?
Yes! Cześć works exactly like the Italian ciao — it means both hello and goodbye among friends. Poles say it walking in and walking out.
What’s the safest greeting if I’m not sure?
Dzień dobry. It works with strangers, shop assistants, elders, officials — everyone. Nobody in the history of Poland was ever offended by it.