British Slang For Hello (11 Examples!)

Depending on whom you ask, you might get a very different answer to the question “Are the British a friendly people?”

I would say that by and large they are as friendly as any other nation!

But one of the clearest metrics we have, if only in our own feelings, of how friendly people are is how they greet you.

Today, we’re going to look at a few slang terms for hello in Britain, from all over the country.

So, let’s get started.

In This Article

Alright?

Universal, clear in meaning and purpose, short, snappy and effective—in informal settings, you can’t go wrong with “alright” as a greeting.

To a non-British English person, this might sound like it’s missing something.

But this is one of the most common slang greetings in the UK, and is simply a way of saying “hi, how are you?” without actually saying that.

The OED cites usages of this phrase as a greeting as early as 1868, so it’s by no means recent.

Today, it’s certainly pretty universal, though it was more of a northern-English greeting in the past.

It often doesn’t even require a response.

A head nod, “Alright” and that’s all the greeting you need!

Some suggest this greeting was popularized by northern soap operas such as Coronation Street.

How you doing?

Doubtless, some form of asking how a person is is a universal greeting even across languages.

Again, though, in British slang, “how you doing” is a grammatically incomplete sentence, and thus again it simply becomes a two-pronged greeting.

On the one hand, you’re simply greeting the person and they will recognize that.

On the other hand, you are asking how they are.

Again, though, you aren’t necessarily looking for an answer.

So, for example, as you pass an acquaintance in the street you might say “How you doing?” or “Hey, how you doing?” and receive the same thing back at you as a return greeting.

This one may have started as an Americanism, particularly in New York in the 20^th Century.

In any case, it’s taken on a fully British character now.

How’s it going?

Another variation of the previous phrase is “How’s it going?” which again most English speakers will be familiar with on some level.

Again, the sense is really the same as the previous one—it’s a question that doesn’t necessarily need an answer.

That said, if you are stopping for a conversation with someone rather than simply a passing greeting, “How’s it going?” perhaps more has the sense of “How are things going for you” rather than “How are you feeling”.

It is suggested that this phrase originates in a medieval expression asking someone about the quality of someone’s bowel movements.

I think it’s best not to think about that when you use this phrase!

Hiya

Again, we have hear a pretty universally understood if not used slang term, but one that is certainly uniquely important in British greetings.

Virtually anywhere in the country, “hiya” can be used as an informal way to say hello. It’s particularly used in phone calls, for instance, to create an air of friendliness.

This is simply a shortened form of “how are you”, which again originated in the United States but is now far more commonly heard in Britain. It first appears in written form in the 1940s.

Yo

Once again, this one is found in many parts of the English-speaking world.

But it’s definitely taken on a uniquely British character in the parts of Britain where it is used.

This is certainly not universal, and is only going to be used by younger people, really.

It’s perhaps schoolyard slang more than anything else.

But it certainly is used.

It’s originally a medieval English word, where it was a sort of general exclamation. “Yo! What’s this?” for example might have been its original sense.

Its current usage originates in 1990s hip-hop slang.

‘Sup

Following on from that, another that has come down to us from American slang but taken on its own British character is ‘sup, a shortened form of “What’s up?”

As you can see, British English rather loves to use rhetorical questions for greetings.

Very often, you’ll get asked something like how are you or what’s up but there’s not necessarily any requirement to answer.

That said, a normal response to “’sup” might just be “Not much, and you?”

So, it really depends on the context of the situation.

Ay-up

Moving away from borrowed Americanisms, next we have ay-up.

This one is very specifically a Yorkshire greeting, though it has spread to some other areas over the last few decades.

This phrase is one of those real windows into history, as Yorkshire in particular features a great deal of slang and colloquialisms that have gone largely unchanged for many centuries.

Ay up most likely originates from an Old Norse term, which meant “watch out”.

You might also see it written as “ayup,” “ey up,” or others like “aye-up”.

It’s by no means something you would hear said anywhere, and it’s less common than it once was.

But it’s still in use to a greater extent than you might think.

Ay-up chuck

Just to add to that, there are a couple of other variations of “ay-up” as a greeting.

Adding “chuck” on the end of that is just a way of making it a bit more personal.

This one, though, is the height of Yorkshire stereotypes, and thus it has fallen out of use slightly as a result.

But it is still used.

“Chuck” is just a Yorkshire term of endearment and could be used for a child or an elderly person.

You might also hear “ay-up duck”, which again is just a kindly way of addressing anyone, whether you know them or not.

Wotcher

Without doubt, this one has all but entirely fallen out of use.

You’re most likely to hear it in old movies and soap operas, and even when it was in use it was pretty limited to parts of the south of England.

It’s thought to have originally been a corruption of “What cheer?” which was something you might have said in the 19^th Century as a greeting.

Like I say, though, this one, again if only because of its strong stereotype associations, has really fallen out of use.

I wouldn’t advise using this one to greet someone!

Long-time no see

There are usually ways of acknowledging in greetings that a long time has passed since the last meeting.

“Long time no see” is a good catch all term for this, when you’re meeting up with a friend that you haven’t seen for a while, however long that might be.

Like many English slang greetings, its first recorded example was in America in the early 20^th Century.

It’s thought to be a result of pidgin English from Chinese immigrants at the time.

Obviously this one is no general greeting, but definitely has a uniquely British character in any case.

Easy

Finally, we have a really regionally specific one.

In parts of South London, you might hear people simply saying “Easy” to one another, perhaps again with the inflection of a question.

The origin isn’t clear, but it seems to simply be a variation on “take it easy,” or something to that effect.

It’s simply a quick and snappy greeting, again the kind of thing you might say with a nod to someone you know in the street.

It seems to be relatively recent, coming into use in perhaps the last twenty years or so.

So, while a couple of these are highly regional and you won’t hear them outside of certain areas,

Britain still has some of the best and most distinctive greeting slang in the world.

If you’re coming in from elsewhere in the world, my advice would be to stick to the simpler ones—you’re going to sound a bit strange if you say ‘ay-up’ without a British—specifically a Yorkshire—accent.

The simpler ones will do you just fine.

More in British Slang

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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