Mongolian Phrases

How to Say Hello in Mongolian

Сайн байна уу is the everyday Mongolian greeting. It literally asks "Are you well?" and works for almost anyone, at any time of day.

Сайн байна уу?

Sain baina uu?

Hello (literally: Are you well?)

How to Pronounce It

Stress the first syllable of each word: SAIN BAI-na UU.
Сайн rhymes with English "sign", and байна is "BYE-na".
Уу is one long "oo" sound, held a little longer than English "too".
Say it as a question, with your voice rising slightly on уу.

Romanization is simplified to help you read along; it is not an official standard.

Formal vs Informal Versions

Ways to say it, from polite to casual
Use	Mongolian	Meaning
Polite / standard	Сайн байна уу? Sain baina uu?	Hello Safe with strangers, elders, colleagues and in writing.
Casual	Сайн уу? Sain uu?	Hi Between friends and people your age.
Morning	Өглөөний мэнд. Öglöönii mend.	Good morning Also: Өдрийн мэнд (good afternoon), Оройн мэнд (good evening).
Traditional	Амар байна уу? Amar baina uu?	Are you well? (traditional) An older, more ceremonial greeting, heard most with elders and in the countryside.

Example Dialogues

Meeting someone politely

Бат Сайн байна уу? Sain baina uu? Hello.
Сараа Сайн, сайн байна уу? Sain, sain baina uu? Hello, how are you?

Good morning at school

Сурагч Өглөөний мэнд, багшаа. Öglöönii mend, bagshaa. Good morning, teacher.
Багш Өглөөний мэнд. Сайн унтсан уу? Öglöönii mend. Sain untsan uu? Good morning. Did you sleep well?

Friends meeting

Тэмүүжин Сайн уу? Sain uu? Hi.
Оюна Сайн, чи сайн уу? Sain, chi sain uu? Hi, how are you?

When to Use It

Use Сайн байна уу? the first time you meet someone, when you enter a shop or office, and with anyone older than you. It suits every situation, so if you only learn one greeting, learn this one.

Among friends and classmates, the shorter Сайн уу? is more relaxed. The time-of-day greetings such as Өглөөний мэнд (“good morning”) are a bit more formal and are common in offices, on the radio and in writing.

Mongolians usually answer a greeting with the same words: someone says Сайн байна уу? and you reply Сайн, сайн байна уу? Traditionally, people also greet an elder with a slightly deeper courtesy than a peer, so if in doubt, choose the polite form.

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Practice "Hello" and More

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