Ways to say it
| Uzbek | Pronunciation | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xayrli tong | khayr-LI TONG | Good morning | Until about ten or eleven. |
| Xayrli kun | khayr-LI KUN | Good day | Daytime; common on the phone and in writing. |
| Xayrli kech | khayr-LI KECH | Good evening | From late afternoon. |
| Assalomu alaykum | ah-sah-loh-mu ah-lay-KUM | Hello | What people actually say most, at any hour. |
Capital letters mark the stressed syllable. Uzbek stress usually falls on the last syllable.
What it literally means
Blessed dawn.
What people say back
Xayrli tong (khayr-LI TONG): “Good morning”. You simply return the same greeting.
In a real exchange
- You: Xayrli tong! Yaxshi dam oldingizmi?
Good morning! Did you rest well? - Host: Xayrli tong! Rahmat, yaxshi. Choy ichasizmi?
Good morning! Yes, thanks. Will you have tea?
Good to know
- Xayrli means “good, blessed”; tong is dawn, kun is day, kech is evening, tun is night. One adjective, four greetings.
- These time-of-day greetings sound a little bookish in speech and perfectly natural in messages and emails.
- Yaxshi dam oldingizmi? (“did you rest well?”) is the usual morning question to a guest or host.
Common mistakes
- Writing hayrli. The word starts with x, the rough h, not with h.
This phrase is part of Uzbek greetings and goodbyes in the free phrasebook, with the grammar behind it.