All the ways to say “Hi” and “Bye“ in Croatian

The greeting is a sign of respect, friendship, goodwill, and good wishes. It’s important to use verbal greetings when meeting or leaving someone in Croatia – greeting is a strong part of the Croatian culture, regardless of whether you know a person personally or not.
Thankfully, there are endless ways to greet someone in Croatian. People usually get the habit of using one greeting or several greetings they like the most. Sometimes they use a combination of two greetings or they repeat the same greeting twice.
We’re going to give you LOTS of options so you can adopt your own.
In this post, we cover:
The facts are these…
All the ways to say “Hi” and “Bye“ in Croatian
How to say “Hi” in Croatian
Phrase: Alo
Meaning: Hello
Phrase: Bog (Dalmatian dialect)
Meaning: Hi
Phrase: Bok
Meaning: Hi
Phrase: Bokić
Meaning: Hi (diminutive form)
Phrase: Ćao
Meaning: Hi
Phrase: Dobar dan
Meaning: Good afternoon
Phrase: Dobra večer
Meaning: Good evening
Phrase: Dobrodošla (feminine singular)
Dobrodošle (feminine plural)
Dobrodošao (masculine singular)
Dobrodošli (masculine plural when you want to greet a mixed group)
Meaning: Welcome
Phrase: Dobro jutro
Meaning: Good morning
Phrase: Ej
Meaning: Hey
Phrase: Haj
Meaning: Hi
Phrase: Halo
Meaning: Hello
Phrase: Hej
Meaning: Hey
Phrase: Oj
Meaning: Oi
Phrase: Pozdrav
Meaning: Regards
Phrase: Zdravo
Meaning: Hello
There are also ways to ask how someone is doing that are also used as rhetorical greetings. You can find those here.
How to say “Bye” in Croatian
Phrase: Adio
Meaning: Goodbye
Phrase: Adijo
Meaning: Goodbye
Phrase: Bog (Dalmatian dialect)
Meaning: Bye
Phrase: Bok
Meaning: Bye
Phrase: Bokić
Meaning: Bye (diminutive form)
Phrase: Budi dobro
Meaning: Stay well
Phrase: Ćao
Meaning: Bye
Phrase: Čujemo se
Meaning: Hear you
Phrase: Čuvaj se
Meaning: Take care
Phrase: Do sutra
Meaning: Until tomorrow
Phrase: Đenja (short form of Doviđenja)
Meaning: Goodbye
Phrase: Doviđenja
Meaning: Goodbye
Phrase: Laku noć
Meaning: Good night
Phrase: Lijep pozdrav
Meaning: Nice regards
Phrase: Noć (short form of Laku noć)
Meaning: Good night
Phrase: Ostani dobro
Meaning: Stay well
Phrase: Pazi (na) se
Meaning: Take care
Phrase: Pozdrav
Meaning: Regards
Phrase: Prijatno
Meaning: Pleasantly (literal translation)
Phrase: Pusa
Meaning: Kiss
Phrase: Srdačan pozdrav
Meaning: Warm regards
Phrase: Srdačno
Meaning: Warmly
Phrase: Sretno
Meaning: Good luck
Phrase: Ugodan dan
Meaning: Have a nice day
Phrase: Ugodan radni tjedan
Meaning: Have a nice working week
Phrase: Ugodan vikend
Meaning: Have a nice weekend
Phrase: Uživaj
Meaning: Enjoy (in singular)
Phrase: Uživajte
Meaning: Enjoy (in plural)
Phrase: Vidimo se
Meaning: See you
Phrase: Zbogom
Meaning: Goodbye
Phrase: Živio
Meaning: Cheers (in singular)
Phrase: Živjeli
Meaning: Cheers (in plural)
View our other Croatian vocabulary posts
- 14 Croatian words that change around the country
- Basic Croatian words and phrases to get through life in Croatia
- Croatian places with the suffix “-ica”
- Croatian vocabulary you might need at a restaurant or cafe in Croatia
- Exclamations for when you need to shout
- Holiday words and phrases
- How to ask how someone is doing
- How to ask where the toilet is in Croatian (and how to find public toilets throughout Croatia)
- How to tell time (in Zagreb, Split, Istria, and Dubrovnik)
- Immigration words and phrases
- Sledding and winter vocabulary
Please note: Information provided by Expat in Croatia is only for the purposes of guidance. It does not constitute legal or financial advice in any form. Croatian laws and bureaucratic rules often change, and each personal case is individual, so different rules may apply. For legal advice, contact us to consult with a licensed Croatian lawyer. For financial advice, contact us to consult with a licensed Croatian tax advisor or accountant.