Ways to say it
| Uzbek | Pronunciation | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xayrli kech | khayr-LI KECH | Good evening | Polite, for anyone; natural in writing, on the phone and at events. |
| Assalomu alaykum | ah-sah-loh-mu ah-lay-KUM | Hello | What people say most, at any hour. |
| Salom | sah-LOM | Hi | Friends and family, in the evening too. |
| Xayrli tun | khayr-LI TUN | Good night | Only when parting late at night, never as a greeting. |
Capital letters mark the stressed syllable. Uzbek stress usually falls on the last syllable.
What it literally means
Blessed evening.
What people say back
Xayrli kech (khayr-LI KECH): “Good evening”. You return the same greeting.
In a real exchange
- Host: Xayrli kech! Xush kelibsiz.
Good evening! Welcome. - You: Xayrli kech! Qalaysiz?
Good evening! How are you? - Host: Yaxshi, rahmat. Kiring, choy ichamiz.
Fine, thanks. Come in, we'll have tea. - You: Rahmat!
Thank you!
Good to know
- Xayrli means “good, blessed”, and the same adjective gives Xayrli tong, Xayrli kun, Xayrli kech and Xayrli tun.
- Kech also means “late”: Darsga kech qoldim is “I was late for class”. Context makes the meaning clear.
- Time-of-day greetings sound a little bookish in speech and perfectly natural in messages, emails and announcements.
Common mistakes
- Using Xayrli tun as an evening greeting. It is only said when parting at night.
- Writing hayrli. The word starts with x, the rough h, not with h.
This phrase is part of Hello, hi and goodbye in Uzbek: greetings with pronunciation in the free phrasebook, with the grammar behind it.