hej

See also: héj

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɦɛj]

Interjection

hej

1. hey, hi (an exclamation to call attention)

Danish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /hɑj/, [hɑ̈j]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aj

Interjection

hej

1. hi, hello
2. (less common) bye

Synonyms

• (hi): goddag

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “hi”): farvel

Esperanto

Etymology

From Polish hej, English hey, German hei, Latin heus.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): [hej]
• Hyphenation: hej

Interjection

hej

1. (neologism, informal) hey

Greenlandic

Interjection

hej

1. hi, hello

See also

• aluu

Hungarian

Etymology

An onomatopoeia.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈhɛj]
• Hyphenation: hej

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛj
• Homophone: hely

Interjection

hej

1. oh!
2. hey!

Further reading

• (interjection expressing sorrow, dismay, amazement etc.): hej in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• (interjection to attract attention): hej in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Polish

Etymology

Onomatopoeic. Compare Slovak hej.

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈxɛj/

• (Lesser Poland):
  • (Goral):
    • (Żywiec) IPA^(key): /ˈxɛj/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛj
• Syllabification: hej

Interjection

hej

1. hey (call for attention)
2. (colloquial) hi, hey (greeting)
3. (dialectal or, Żywiec) yeah, yep

   Synonyms: ano, tak, jo

Further reading

• hej in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• hej in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Izydor Kopernicki (1875) “hej”, in Rozprawy i Sprawozdania z Posiedzeń Wydziału Filologicznego Akademii Umiejętności (I), volume 3, Kraków: Akademia Umiejętności, page 371

Serbo-Croatian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɦɛj/

Interjection

hej (Cyrillic spelling хеј)

1. hi (greeting)
2. hey (exclamation, call for attention)

Slovak

Etymology

Compare Polish hej.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɦɛj/

Interjection

hej

1. (colloquial) yeah, yep

   Synonym: áno

   Antonym: nie

2. hey (exclamation)

Further reading

• “hej”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2024

Swedish

Etymology

Derived from Old Norse hei, likely from Low German hei or German hei. First attested in 1541.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɛjː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛj

Interjection

hej

1. hi, hello [since 1710]

   Jag sa hej till din bror i mataffären igår.

   I said hi to your brother at the super market yesterday.

   Hej hej.

   Hello hello.

   • 1960, Britt Lindeborg (lyrics and music), “Hej, mitt vinterland [Hey [or "hi / hello"], my winterland]”, in Julefrid med Carola [Christmas peace / serenity with Carola]‎^[1], performed by Carola:

     Hej, mitt vinterland, nu är jag här. Nu biter frosten i min kind, ty kall är kvällen. Hej, mitt vinterland, se månen där. Den lyser kyligt trind / kring [differs between versions] på mörka himlapällen. Bjällrans klang friden stör, när vi genom skogen kör. Bofink uti grannens topp, förlåt att vi väckte dig opp. Hej, mitt vinterland, nu är jag här. Och vinter ["vintern" (definite) in some versions], håll i dig / på vinterholiday [possibly the original lyrics, then misunderstood or changed], nu blinkar stugans ljus mot mig, i mitt vita vinterland.

     Hey [or "hi / hello"], my winterland, now I am here. Now the frost bites my cheek, for the evening is cold. Hey, my winterland, look at the moon there. It shines cool and plump / coolly around ["coolly round/plump / around" – differs between versions] in the dark canopy of the sky. The sound of the [jingle] bell disturbs the peace as we ride [drive] through the forest. Chaffinch at [in] the top of the spruce, we're sorry for waking you up [sorry for that we woke you up]. Hey, my winterland, now I am here. And winter, brace yourself / on winter holiday [ad hoc], now the [Christmas, probably] lights of the cottage twinkle ["blink" – tindra (“twinkle”) is less common for electric lights in Swedish] at [toward] me, in my white winterland.

2. (less common) bye

   Synonym: hej då

   Vi syns, hej.

   See ya, bye.

   Hej hej.

   Bye bye.

3. An expression of intensity (in some expressions); hey

   Hej vad det går!

   "Hey how it (stuff, like a party) goes!"

   • 1982, Gyllene Tider (lyrics and music), “Sommartider [Summer times]”‎^[2]:

     Sommartider, hej, hej, sommartider. Ge mig din hunger, ge mig din hand. Ge mig allt du vill och allt du kan. Sommartider, hej, hej, sommartider. Läppar mot läppar som tar mig i land. Som ger sommartider till varann.

     Summer times, hey, hey, summer times. Give me your hunger, give me your hand. Give me everything that you want and everything that you can. Summer times, hey, hey, summer times. Lips against lips, that take me ashore. That give summer times to each other.

4. A filler, in some expressions; hey [since 1849]

   Hej och hå

   Hey ho

Usage notes

• The most common greeting. Neutral in tone, like English hi, hello. The corresponding farewell hej då is similarly neutral, like English bye, goodbye.
• Traditionally an informal greeting, in modern Swedish it is often found in formal letters or e-mails, where sometimes in English Dear Sir or Madam would be preferred.

Derived terms

• hej kom och hjälp mig

See also

• hälsa (“to greet”)
• hälsning
• hälsningsfras
• med vänliga hälsningar

See also (greetings)

• ey
• god morgon
• god middag
• god eftermiddag
• goddag
• god afton
• god kväll
• hallå
• hallå där
• halloj
• hej hopp
• hej hopp, gummisnopp
• hej på dig
• hejsan
• hejsan svejsan
• hejsan hoppsan
• hojt
• morsning
• morsning korsning
• mors
• sho
• tjabba
• tja
• tjena
• tjenare
• tjenamors
• tjenis penis
• tjena mittbena
• tjenixen
• tjosan
• tjoflöjt
• tjohopp
• tjolahopp
• tjo
• var hälsad

See also (farewells)

• adjö
• farväl
• god natt
• gonatt
• ha det
• ha det bra
• ha det gott
• ha det gött
• hej då
• hej svejs
• på återseende
• tack och hej leverpastej
• trevlig helg
• sug och svälj, trevlig helg
• trevlig resa
• trevligt veckoslut
• vi hörs
• vi ses
• vi syns

Swedish phrasebook

This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness. For other Swedish entries on this topic, see Greetings.

References

• hej in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• hej in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)