Wiktionary

hej

See also: héj

Czech

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Pronunciation

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Interjection

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hej

  1. hey, hi (an exclamation to call attention)

Danish

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Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /hɑj/, [hɑ̈j]
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -aj

Interjection

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hej

  1. hi, hello
  2. (less common) bye

Synonyms

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Antonyms

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  • (antonym(s) of “hi”): farvel

Esperanto

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Etymology

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From Polish hej, English hey, German hei, Latin heus.

Pronunciation

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Interjection

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hej

  1. (neologism, informal) hey

Greenlandic

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Interjection

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hej

  1. hi, hello

See also

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Hungarian

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Etymology

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An onomatopoeia.[1]

Pronunciation

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Interjection

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hej

  1. oh!
  2. hey!

References

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  1. ^ hej in Zaicz, Gábor (ed.). Etimológiai szótár: Magyar szavak és toldalékok eredete (‘Dictionary of Etymology: The origin of Hungarian words and affixes’). Budapest: Tinta Könyvkiadó, 2006, →ISBN.  (See also its 2nd edition.)

Further reading

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  • (interjection expressing sorrow, dismay, amazement etc.): hej in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.
  • (interjection to attract attention): hej in Géza Bárczi, László Országh, et al., editors, A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára [The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language] (ÉrtSz.), Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN.

Polish

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Etymology

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Onomatopoeic. Compare Slovak hej.

Pronunciation

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  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛj
  • Syllabification: hej

Interjection

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hej

  1. hey (call for attention)
  2. (colloquial) hi, hey (greeting)
  3. (dialectal or, Żywiec) yeah, yep
    Synonyms: ano, tak, jo

Further reading

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  • hej in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • hej in Polish dictionaries at PWN
  • Izydor Kopernicki (1875) “hej”, in “Spostrzeżenia nad właściwościami językowémi w mowie Górali Bieskidowych z dodatkiem słowniczka wyrazów góralskich”, in Rozprawy i Sprawozdania z Posiedzeń Wydziału Filologicznego Akademii Umiejętności (I), volume 3, Kraków: Akademia Umiejętności, page 371

Serbo-Croatian

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Pronunciation

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Interjection

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hej (Cyrillic spelling хеј)

  1. hi (greeting)
  2. hey (exclamation, call for attention)

Slovak

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Etymology

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Compare Polish hej.

Pronunciation

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Interjection

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hej

  1. (colloquial) yeah, yep
    Synonym: áno
    Antonym: nie
  2. hey (exclamation)

Further reading

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  • “hej”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2025

Swedish

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Swedish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia sv

Etymology

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Derived from Old Norse hei, likely from Low German hei or German hei. First attested in 1541.[1]

Pronunciation

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Interjection

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hej

  1. hi, hello [since 1710][1]
    Jag sa hej till din bror i mataffären igår.
    I said hi to your brother at the super market yesterday.
    Hej hej.
    Hello hello.
    • 1960, Britt Lindeborg, “Hej, mitt vinterland [Hey [or "hi / hello"], my winterland]”, in Julefrid med Carola [Christmas peace / serenity with Carola]‎[1], performed by Carola:
      Hej, mitt vinterland, nu är jag här. Nu biter frosten i min kind, ty kall är kvällen. Hej, mitt vinterland, se månen där. Den lyser kyligt trind / kring [differs between versions] på mörka himlapällen. Bjällrans klang friden stör, när vi genom skogen kör. Bofink uti grannens topp, förlåt att vi väckte dig opp. Hej, mitt vinterland, nu är jag här. Och vinter ["vintern" (definite) in some versions], håll i dig / på vinterholiday [possibly the original lyrics, then misunderstood or changed], nu blinkar stugans ljus mot mig, i mitt vita vinterland.
      Hey [or "hi / hello"], my winterland, now I am here. Now the frost bites my cheek, for the evening is cold. Hey, my winterland, look at the moon there. It shines cool and plump / coolly around ["coolly round/plump / around" – differs between versions] in the dark canopy of the sky. The sound of the [jingle] bell disturbs the peace as we ride [drive] through the forest. Chaffinch at [in] the top of the spruce, we're sorry for waking you up [sorry for that we woke you up]. Hey, my winterland, now I am here. And winter, brace yourself / on winter holiday [ad hoc], now the [Christmas, probably] lights of the cottage twinkle ["blink" – tindra (“twinkle”) is less common for electric lights in Swedish] at [toward] me, in my white winterland.
  2. (less common) bye
    Synonym: hej då
    Vi syns, hej.
    See ya, bye.
    Hej hej.
    Bye bye.
    • 2023, 31:48 from the start, in Gränsbevakarna, season 2, episode 8, spoken by customs officer:
      Varsågod. Nästa gång, kolla Tullverket, okej? Så ni inte hamnar i samma situation. Hej, hej.
      You're welcome. Next time, check with Customs, okay? So you don't end up in the same situation. Bye, bye.
  3. An expression of intensity (in some expressions); hey
    Hej vad det går!
    "Hey how it (stuff, like a party) goes!"
    • 1982, Gyllene Tider, “Sommartider [Summer times]”‎[2]:
      Sommartider, hej, hej, sommartider. Ge mig din hunger, ge mig din hand. Ge mig allt du vill och allt du kan. Sommartider, hej, hej, sommartider. Läppar mot läppar som tar mig i land. Som ger sommartider till varann.
      Summer times, hey, hey, summer times. Give me your hunger, give me your hand. Give me everything that you want and everything that you can. Summer times, hey, hey, summer times. Lips against lips, that take me ashore. That give summer times to each other.
  4. A filler, in some expressions; hey [since 1849][1]
    Hej och hå
    Hey ho

Usage notes

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  • The most common greeting. Neutral in tone, like English hi, hello. The corresponding farewell hej då is similarly neutral, like English bye, goodbye.
  • Traditionally an informal greeting, in modern Swedish it is often found in formal letters or e-mails, where sometimes in English Dear Sir or Madam would be preferred.

Derived terms

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See also

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Greetings
Farewells
Swedish phrasebook
 This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness.
For other Swedish entries on this topic, see Greetings.

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 hej in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
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