Italian · Greetings

Italian Greetings & Goodbyes

Ciao, buongiorno, arrivederci — when each one fits, and how to actually say it.

57 entries ·Hello, goodbye, see you later · Audio on every entry · cross-checked

You walk into a bar in Bologna at 8 a.m. The barista glances up. You say ciao — and something flickers across her face. Not offense, exactly. Just a small recalibration. Because ciao is for friends, and she doesn't know you yet. Buongiorno was the word. One syllable of difference, and the whole morning feels different.

This page covers the greetings and goodbyes Italians actually use — buongiorno, buonasera, salve, ciao, arrivederci, and a handful of others — along with when each one fits. Formal or casual, morning or evening, stranger or old friend: the context matters more than people expect.

Each phrase has a pronunciation guide, a short note on usage, and example lines so you can hear it in a real sentence. The page is organized roughly by situation: arriving, leaving, and the middle-ground phrases that work either way.

Every translation and audio clip on this site is cross-checked by native speakers before it goes live. If something sounds off to you, there's a flag button at the bottom of each card.

30 ways to greet someone in Italian

Full index · ordered A → Z

e eh
e tu? eh TOO
Si potrebbe stare meglio. see po-TREB-beh STAH-reh MEH-lyoh
Guida piano! GWEE-dah PEE-ah-noh
Buon rientro a casa! bwon ree-EN-troh ah KAH-zah
Saluti a... sah-LOO-tee ah
Buon pomeriggio bwon po-meh-REE-joh
Buongiorno bwon-JOR-noh
Buonasera. bwo-nah-SEH-rah
Buongiorno bwon-JOR-noh
Buonanotte bwon-nah-NOT-teh
Piacere di vederti pee-ah-CHEH-reh dee veh-DEHR-tee
Arrivederci ah-ree-veh-DAIR-chee
Che piacere vederti! keh pleh-CHAIR-eh veh-DAIR-tee
Buona giornata. bwo-nah jor-NAH-tah
Buona serata bwOH-nah seh-RAH-tah
Buon fine settimana bwon fee-neh set-tee-MAH-nah
Buon viaggio! bwon vee-AH-joh
Ciao CHOW
Ciao CHOW
Ciao, come stai? CHOW, KOH-meh STAH-ee
Ciao CHOW
Ciao CHOW
Ciao a tutti CHOW ah TOOT-tee
Come stai? KOH-meh STAH-ee
Come stai? KOH-meh STAH-ee
Come va? KOH-meh VAH
Ciao CHOW
Devo andare. DEH-voh ahn-DAH-reh
Devo andare DEH-voh ahn-DAH-reh
Sto bene stoh BEN-eh
Sto bene, grazie. sto-BEE-neh, GRAHT-syeh
Altrettanto al-tret-TAHN-toh
È da tanto che non ci vediamo! eh da TAN-toh keh non chi veh-dee-AH-moh
Mi chiamo mee KYAH-moh
Prego PREH-goh
Piacere di conoscerti. pya-CHEH-reh dee ko-no-SHER-tee
Non c'è male non cheh MAH-leh
Piacere di conoscerla pee-ah-CHEH-reh dee koh-noh-SHER-lah
Saluta la tua famiglia per me. sah-LOO-tah lah TOO-ah fah-MEE-lyah pehr MEH
A tra poco ah tra POH-koh
A dopo. ah-DOH-poh
A presto AH PRES-toh
Ci vediamo domani chee veh-dee-AH-moh doh-MAH-nee
Che coincidenza! keh kohn-ee-chen-DAHT-sah
Stammi bene. STAM-mi-BEH-neh
Stammi bene. STAM-mi-beh-neh
Stai tranquillo STAI trahn-KWEEL-loh
Ci vediamo dopo CHEE veh-dee-AH-moh DOH-poh
Alla prossima AL-la PROSS-see-ma
A domani ah doh-MAH-nee
Benvenuto ben-veh-NOO-toh
Che sorpresa! keh sor-PREH-sah
Cosa ti porta qui? KOH-sah tee POR-tah kwee
Come va? KOH-meh VAH
Anche tu AHN-keh TOO
Prego PREH-goh

Frequently asked

What is the difference between ciao and buongiorno in Italian?

Buongiorno is the safe, neutral choice with anyone you don't know — a shopkeeper, a hotel receptionist, a stranger on the street. Ciao is informal and works best with friends, family, or people your own age who've signaled they're relaxed about it. Start with buongiorno and let the other person set the tone.

When do Italians switch from buongiorno to buonasera?

Roughly mid-afternoon — somewhere between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. depending on the region and the person. There's no hard rule, and Italians won't correct you if you get it slightly wrong. When in doubt, salve sidesteps the whole question and works any time of day.

Is arrivederci too formal for everyday use?

Not at all. Arrivederci is the standard polite goodbye and fits almost any situation — leaving a shop, ending a phone call, saying goodnight to a neighbor. It only starts to feel stiff if you use it with close friends, who'd expect a simple ciao or a presto.

How do you pronounce buongiorno without it sounding wrong?

The trickiest part is the buon — it's closer to bwon than boo-on, said quickly as one syllable. Then giorno rhymes roughly with jorno, with a soft j sound. The full word lands as bwon-JOR-no, stress on the middle syllable.