You won’t get very far in another language without knowing how to say hello and goodbye. Most language apps, teachers and textbooks will have you covered on that front from day one. But who’s going to have your back when you’re struggling to come up with the appropriate email salutations in your target language?
This sort of thing has implications, by the way. It’s hard enough to decide between “Sincerely,” “Best” and “Thank you!” in English. And directly translating the email greetings you’re used to using in your native language won’t land the same way to a speaker of a different language. One study found that 40 percent of Koreans thought Australian emails were impolite, versus 28 percent of Australians who thought Korean emails were rude.
If you’ve ever aced a quiz on how to answer the phone in another language, then you’re probably hip to the fact that phone and email etiquette calls for slightly different language than spoken communication does. Here are a few examples of email salutations in other languages that might feel a little more natural rolling off the fingertips than “sincerely” or “best.”
Email Salutations In Other Languages
Spanish
Estimado/a ___, — Dear ___, (formal)
Querido/a ___, — Dear ___, (informal)
Buenos días/tardes — Good day/afternoon
Hola — Hello
Buenas — Hey (casual)
Polish
Szanowni Państwo — Dear Sir or Madam (formal, unknown recipient)
Szanowny Panie (m)/Szanowna Pani (f) ___, — Dear Mr./Dear Mrs. ___, (formal)
Dzień dobry — Good morning
Cześć — Hi
French
Bonjour — Hello
Bonsoir — Good evening
Bonjour monsieur/madame — Hello sir/madam (formal)
Salut ___, — Hey ___, (casual)
German
Sehr geehrter Herr ___/Sehr geehrte Frau ___ — Dear Mr./Dear Mrs. ___ (formal)
Hallo — Hello/Hey
Lieber (m)/Liebe (f) ___, — Dear ___, (for friends and relatives)
Japanese
いつもお世話になっております。— I’m always grateful for your help. (yes, even if you’ve never met)
お世話になっております。株式会社〇〇（社名）の〇〇（名前）です。— Thank you for your patronage. This is (name) of (company name). (formal business email)
Italian
Ciao — Ciao (informal)
Buongiorno — Good day/Hello
Egregio Sig./Egregia Sig.ra ___, — Dear Mr./Mrs. ___,
Gentile Sig./Gentile Sig.ra ___ — Dear Mr./Mrs. ___,
Russian
Уважаемый (m)/Уважаемая (f) ___, — Dear ___, (formal)
Здравствуйте — Hello
Добрый день — Good day
Arabic
الفاضل ___, — Virtuous ___, (like “Dear ___,”)
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته — May the peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you (standard formal opening, used after addressing the recipient by name)
Email Sign-Offs In Other Languages
Spanish
Saludos or Un saludo — Regards (informal)
Un abrazo or Un beso — Hug or Kiss (for people you’re close to)
Cordialmente — Cordially
Saludos cordiales — Best regards
Atentamente — Sincerely/attentively
Polish
Z poważaniem — With respect
Wyrazy szacunku — Expressions of respect
Łączę ukłony — I combine the bows (think: an actor taking a couple bows on stage)
French
Mille baisers or Bisous — A thousand kisses or XOXO (for close friends)
Bonne journée — Have a good day
Cordialement or Très cordialement — Cordially or Very cordially
Amicalement — Kindly
German
Liebe Grüße — Best regards
Mit freundlichen Empfehlungen — With friendly compliments
Mit freundlichen Grüßen — With friendly regards
Mach’s gut! — Take care! (informal)
Japanese
宜しくお願い致します。— Best regards
よろしくおねがいします — Nice to meet you
Italian
Saluti — Regards
Cari saluti – Warm regards
La ringrazio – Thank you
Un bacio or Un bacione – A kiss or A big kiss (for close friends)
Russian
С уважением — Regards
С наилучшими пожеланиями — With best wishes
Заранее спасибо — Thank you in advance
Всего доброго — All the best
Arabic
مع خالص التقدير و الاحترام — With sincere appreciation and respect
تمنياتي لكم بالتوفيق — Best wishes
والسلام عليكم — Peace be upon you