The Journeying Giordano's contains affiliate links and is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you make a purchase using one of my affiliate links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

How to Say Hello in Canada

ByMarianne Giordano Updated on

How to Say Hello in Canada

Canadians are known worldwide for being polite and mild-mannered. We are a friendly bunch who are typically laid back and informal, but also pretty reserved. As such, the way we greet each other is also largely informal. So if you are visiting our amazing country, what are the different ways you can say Hello in Canada?

Plan Your Next Vacation Using These Trusted Tools!

How to Say Hello In Canada

There are many ways to say hello in Canada. Depending on the region you are visiting, you may find slight nuances in our greetings or be totally blown away by them. In fact, some words and phrases are often very specific to a certain place, so you won’t hear them anywhere else in Canada.

In most parts of the country, you will hear the typical Canadian greeting, “hello” being spoken as “hello.” You can also say “good morning/afternoon/evening” when greeting someone you don’t know.

If you are greeting a friend, family member, person you know well, or someone you are acquainted with, you may decide to use the more casual “hi” or “hey“. Some other common greetings are “howdy,” “how are you?” and “nice to meet you.”

Hello-in-Canada-hi-written-in-water-droplets

And just a head’s up, when you are visiting the East Coast of Canada, all bets are off! The Maritime Provinces seem to have a lingo all on their own, and this includes interesting greetings!

Of course, “hello” is always an acceptable greeting. But “what’re you sayin’?” is quite common as well. In this case, someone is not being literal when asking this question. Instead, it’s more of an equivalent to “What’s up?”

And if you happen to be visiting Gander, Newfoundland, you may come across something completely different, “slue“. This word can mean either “hello” or “goodbye.”

Fun Fact: An interesting fact about Canada is that many of the popular phrases in Newfoundland are derived from a deep connection to their seafaring culture. As a matter of fact, during our recent visit to this amazing eastern province, we needed a brief lesson on Newfinese from a local!

How to Say Hello in French Canadian

Of course, one of the biggest differences you will notice when it comes to saying hello in Canada is when visiting Quebec. As this is Canada’s French-speaking province, the most popular greetings you will hear are “bonjour,” “salut,” and “comment allez-vous?”

Of course “bonjour” is the most common way to say hello in French. Literally translated, it means good day and can be used for good morning as well.

Hello in Canada - Bonhomme waving with kids and saying Bonjour!

Interestingly, bonjour can be used all day until around sunset. It is at this point in the day when it is customary to stop saying bonjour and start saying “bonsoir”, which means good evening in French.

This is one of those quirks that can be difficult to get used to for native English speakers. This is because we tend to use “bonjour” as we would “hello”, whereas a native French speaker would never say “bonjour” at night.

Greetings in Canada

Now that we have learned how to say hello in Canada, let’s talk a little more about greetings. Greetings can be formal or informal, verbal or physical. It all depends on the situation, and the people involved.

For the most part, greetings are usually informal in social settings. First names are generally used in initial introductions in Canada.

It is also customary for the person entering a room to issue the first greeting. It is considered quite rude not to announce your presence by saying hello.

If you are meeting up with a friend or someone you know well, a hug, back-slap, or just a nod are often common types of greetings. Of course, a physical greeting really depends on the comfort level of both parties involved.

Hello-in-Canada-kid-hugging-dog

And if you are visiting Quebec, French Canadians may also greet one another by lightly kissing both cheeks once, starting on the left. This is a very European thing to do and can be traced back to our roots in France.

Common Canadian Greetings

If you are planning to visit Canada, these are examples of common Canadian greetings and responses that will help you when meeting people during your stay!

Keep in mind, the following phrases are not meant to be taken literally as questions, instead, they are merely being used as a form of greeting. It would be considered bad form to give a lengthy response.

And when replying to the below greetings, it is also considered especially bad form if the answers are negative. Instead, consider saying something along the lines of “Not that great, I have had a rough day”.

1. How ya doin? 

This means “How are you doing?” or “How are you.” Your response could be: Awesome / good / fine / OK I guess / Not too bad, or something along those lines.

2. Howz it goin? 

This means “How is it going?” Similarly, possible answers could include: Awesome / good / fine / OK I guess / Not too bad.

3. Whadder yup to? 

This means “What are you up to?” or “What are you doing.” Possible replies might include: Not much / Keeping busy / Same old stuff / Just the usual / Working hard. 

Hello-in-Canada-hand-holding-hello-card

What is a Formal Greeting in Canada?

A firm handshake is the common greeting in Canada when meeting a business associate, or meeting someone for the first time. Shaking with a firm hand and maintaining eye contact reflects confidence and respect.

Both men and women use handshakes as a greeting, however, women may acknowledge you with a nod of the head rather than a handshake. And something I never really gave much thought to until writing this article is that many Canadians may also laugh lightly over handshakes to diffuse the formality.

Hello-in-Canada-handshake

How to Say Hello in Canada – FAQs

How do Canadians say hello?

Most Canadians will simply say “hello,” with French Canadians sticking to the usual greeting of “Bonjour”.

How do you greet someone in Canada?

In Canada, the customary way to greet someone is by shaking their hand.

How do you say good morning in Canadian?

In Canada, people generally greet each other with a simple “Good morning.” In Quebec, “Bon matin” is an accepted way to say good morning.

Hello-in-Canada-letters-spelling-hello-on-tabletop

Final Thoughts on How to Say Hello in Canada

Saying hello in Canada is not really rocket science! Canadians are pretty laid-back. So as long as you offer some form of friendly greeting, you will generally get a “hello” or “bonjour” or even a “Hey! How’s it goin?” in return.

Plan Your Next Vacation Using These Trusted Tools!

Pin This Post for Later!

Hello-in-Canada-Pinterest-Pin-1

Related Posts:

Marianne Giordano is the founder and writer for The Journeying Giordano's. Together with her husband, John, and their children, the family has travelled to all 10 Canadian provinces and one Territory. Marianne is responsible for planning all of her family's travel itineraries and dreaming up new adventures. A Canadian native, Marianne shares all her favourite family-friendly things to do in Canada.