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. |
| Yaxshi dam oldingizmi? | yakh-SHI DAM ol-din-giz-MI | Did you rest well? | The usual morning question, polite. |
| Yaxshi dam oldingmi? | yakh-SHI DAM ol-ding-MI | Did you rest well? (informal) | To a friend or a child. |
| Hammaga xayrli tong | ham-ma-GA khayr-LI TONG | Good morning, everyone | To a group or a room. |
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? - You: Ha, rahmat.
Yes, thank you. - Host: Marhamat, nonushta tayyor.
Please, breakfast is ready.
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.
- Tong has the ng of “song”, not an n followed by a hard g: TONG.
Common mistakes
- Writing hayrli. The word starts with x, the rough h, not with h.
- Using Xayrli tong at midday. After ten or eleven, switch to Xayrli kun or just Assalomu alaykum.
This phrase is part of Hello, hi and goodbye in Uzbek: greetings with pronunciation in the free phrasebook, with the grammar behind it.