Urdu greetings for kids: Assalam-o-Alaikum, Aap kaise hain and what to say back

The everyday Urdu greetings are short and easy to practise: Assalam-o-Alaikum السلام علیکم (Peace be upon you (hello)) to say hello, Aap kaise hain? آپ کیسے ہیں؟ to ask how someone is, and Shukriya شکریہ (Thank you) to say thank you. Greetings are the first Urdu most children use with grandparents, so they’re the best place to start.

Cards with a play button have Bulbul’s narration; the rest you can hear in the app. Say each one together.

Hello, and the reply

• السلام علیکمAssalam-o-AlaikumPeace be upon you (hello)
• وعلیکم السلامWa Alaikum AssalamAnd peace be upon you (hello back)
• سلامSalaamHello (peace)

Assalam-o-Alaikum السلام علیکم means “peace be upon you”. It’s what children say when they walk into Nani’s house or answer a video call. The reply is Wa Alaikum Assalam وعلیکم السلام, “and peace be upon you”. Salaam سلام on its own is a shorter, friendly hello.

Try it tonight: when a grown-up comes home, let your child be the one who says it first.

How are you? I’m fine

• آپ کیسے ہیں؟Aap kaise hain?How are you?
• آپ کیسی ہیں؟Aap kaisi hain?How are you? (to a woman)Hear it in the app
• میں ٹھیک ہوںMain theek hoonI am fine

Urdu asks differently depending on who you’re talking to. Aap kaise hain? آپ کیسے ہیں؟ is for a man or boy; Aap kaisi hain? آپ کیسی ہیں؟ is for a woman or girl. The answer is the same either way: Main theek hoon میں ٹھیک ہوں (I am fine).

This is the exchange that comes up most often with grandparents on the phone. If your child answers “Good” in English, that’s normal: understanding usually comes before speaking. Saying it back together a few times a week is what moves it from “understood” to “said”.

Please, thank you and yes

• شکریہShukriyaThank you
• جی ہاںJee haanYes (polite)Hear it in the app
• جی نہیں، شکریہJee nahin, shukriyaNo, thank youHear it in the app
• نہیںNahinNoHear it in the app

Shukriya شکریہ (Thank you) is the word children use most after hello. Two small habits make Urdu sound polite:

• Aap is the respectful “you”. Children use it with parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles.
• Jee softens yes and no. Jee haan جی ہاں (Yes (polite)) is a polite yes, and Jee nahin, shukriya جی نہیں، شکریہ (No, thank you) is a polite “no, thank you”.

Meeting someone new

• آپ کا نام کیا ہے؟Aap ka naam kya hai?What is your name?Hear it in the app
• آپ سے مل کر خوشی ہوئیAap se mil kar khushi huiNice to meet youHear it in the app
• عید مبارکEid MubarakHappy EidHear it in the app

Aap ka naam kya hai? آپ کا نام کیا ہے؟ (What is your name?) is how a grown-up asks a child’s name. Children answer “Mera naam … hai” with their own name in the middle: Mera naam Zara hai, “my name is Zara”. Aap se mil kar khushi hui آپ سے مل کر خوشی ہوئی (Nice to meet you) means “nice to meet you”, and on Eid everyone says Eid Mubarak عید مبارک (Happy Eid).

Goodbye

• اللہ حافظAllah HafizGoodbye
• خدا حافظKhuda hafizGoodbyeHear it in the app

Allah Hafiz اللہ حافظ and Khuda hafiz خدا حافظ both mean goodbye. Families tend to use one or the other, so teach the one your child will hear at home.

A five-minute greeting game

1. Doorbell. One person “rings” and comes in. The other greets them with Assalam-o-Alaikum and waits for the reply.
2. Phone call. Pretend to call Nani. Ask Aap kaisi hain? and answer Main theek hoon.
3. Shop. One person hands over a toy; the other says Shukriya, then Allah Hafiz.

Swap roles so your child gets to ask as well as answer. Five minutes is plenty; stop while it’s still fun.

Where these come from

Every line on this page comes from Bulbul, the iPhone and iPad app we make for children learning spoken Urdu. The greetings are the first conversations in the app: children hear each line, understand it from a picture of a family moment, then say it out loud while Bulbul listens. Try a few with audio on our Urdu words page.