Hello in Danish: hej, and how to say it right
Hello in Danish is hej. It sounds like the English “high”, and in my phonetic spelling it is “haj”. You can say it to almost anyone: your neighbour, the cashier, your boss. Tap the word to hear it, and read on for the few other ways Danes say hi.
How do you say hello in Danish?
Say hej. It is the normal greeting from morning to night, in person, on the phone and at the start of an email. Danes are informal, so you do not need a polite version for older people or for work. Add the name if you know it:
- Hej!Hi! Hello!
- Hej Anne.Hi Anne.
- Hej igen!Hi again!
- Hej! Hvordan går det?Hi! How’s it going?
How do you pronounce hej?
One syllable, “haj”, like “high” without the long glide at the end. The h is a soft breath, and the ej is the same sound as in nej (no) and dig (“daj”, you). Do not say “hey” with an English e: Danes will understand you, but it sounds foreign. More about these sounds in the pronunciation guide.
Other ways to say hi in Danish
| Danish | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|
| hejsa | hi there | friendly and a bit cheerful; friends, colleagues, children |
| halløj | hi, hey | playful, between people who know each other |
| godmorgen | good morning | in the morning; at home, at work, in class |
| goddag | good day, hello | a bit formal; a letter, an official phone call, an older person |
| godaften | good evening | in the evening, often a bit formal |
| hallo | hello? | on the phone when you cannot hear, or to get attention; not a normal greeting |
In Sønderjylland, near the German border, you will also hear mojn, both as hello and goodbye.
Hej hej means goodbye
Here is the one that confuses everyone: say hej twice, and it means goodbye. Hej hej, “haj haj”, is how most Danes end a phone call or leave a shop. Farvel is goodbye too, a little more final, and Vi ses means see you.
- Tak. Hej hej.Thanks. Bye.
- Vi ses i morgen.See you tomorrow.
What does hej mean?
Hej means hi or hello, and in hej hej it means bye. It is related to the English “hey”, and Swedes and Norwegians say hej too, so a Danish greeting works across Scandinavia.
Who says what? A 30-second quiz
Pick the greeting first, then open the answer.
You walk into the bakery at 8 in the morning. What do you say?
Hej or godmorgen. Both are right; hej is the most common.
Your friend calls you. How do you answer?
Hej, or halløj if you are in a good mood. Not hallo, which sounds like you cannot hear them.
You start an email to the municipality. Which greeting?
Goddag or the name: Kære Borgerservice. Hej is also common in emails, but halløj is too playful here.
You leave the shop. What does the cashier say?
Most likely Hej hej, bye. Say it back.
How do you say hello and thank you in Danish?
Hello is hej, and thank you is tak, said like “tahk”. With these two and hej hej you can get through a whole visit to the shop. For the rest of the greetings and the small talk that follows, see Danish phrases.
Updated 18 October 2026