What is the most common Persian greeting?

Salam (سلام) is the all-purpose hello, suitable at any time of day and with almost anyone.

How do you greet someone formally in Persian?

Use salam aleikom or salam arz mikonam, then hale shoma chetore? (how are you, formal), and reply with bale rather than are.

How do you end a conversation in Persian?

Say khodahafez (goodbye), or casually fe'lan (see you). Be salamat is a warm farewell for someone leaving on a trip.

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Linguistics · Culture · Jun 3, 2026

Persian greetings: a complete guide

If you learn just the greetings well, you can start and end almost any Persian conversation with confidence.

Greetings are the highest-value thing a beginner can master, because they open every interaction. Persian greetings are warm and a little ceremonial, and they reward a small amount of effort.

Opening

Start with salam سلام. Add a time-of-day greeting when it fits: sobh bekheyr (good morning), asr bekheyr (good afternoon), shab bekheyr (good night).

Asking how someone is

Follow with chetori? چطوری؟ or, formally, hale shoma chetore? حال شما چطوره؟. Reply with khoobam, merci, then return the question with shoma?

Closing

End with khodahafez خداحافظ, or casually fe'lan (see you). For someone travelling, be salamat (go in safety) adds warmth.

Reading the room

The main choice is register. Use chetori and are with friends, and hale shoma chetore and bale with elders, strangers, or in formal settings. Matching the level of formality is what makes greetings feel natural.

Opening, asking, closing: master those three and you have the backbone of polite Persian conversation.

Category: LinguisticsCategory: CultureTags: greetings, salam, beginners, spoken Persian