Formal greetings
The first thing you will want to learn in any language is to simply say “Hello”. Learn both formal and informal Rohingya greetings and leave-takings. The following are two formal ways of introducing yourself in Rohingya.
| Formal greetings | Responses |
|---|---|
| Salaam alaikum! "Peace be with you!" | Uwalaikum salaam! "Peace be with you too!" |
| Bala aso ne? "How are you? / Are you well?" | Oi, ãi bala asi. "Yes, I am fine." |
Informal greetings
In a more informal setting you can use any of these greetings to greet your Rohingya friends with.
| Informal greetings | Responses |
|---|---|
| Gom aso ne? "Are you well?" | Oi, ãi gom asi. "Yes, I am well." |
| Ken aso? "How are (you)" | Ãi bala asi. I am fine. |
| Ken aso? "How are (you)" | Ãi bala / gom nai. I am not fine. |
| Tũi ken aso? How are you? | Ãi o bala asi. "I am fine, too. |
| Tũi ken goror? How are you doing? | Ãi bala gorir. "I am doing fine. |
| Tũwar góror manuš ken ase? "How is your family?" | Hitara bala ase. "They are fine." |
gom /gɔm/– “good, well”
abar /ʌˈbɑɾ/ – “again”
ãi /ɑ̃ ⁱ/ – “I (1sg)“
tũi /tũⁱ/ – “you (sg. polite)“
tui /tuⁱ/ – “you (sg.)“
hitara /ˈhitɑɾʌ/ – “they”
o /ɔ/ – “too, also”
gór /ɡɔɾ/ – “house, home”
manuš /mʌˈnuʃ/ – “man”
| Leave-taking | Response |
|---|---|
| Abar deha oibo! "See you again!" | |
| Fored deha oibo! "See you later! |
If you hear your Rohingya friends ask you Bat haiyo ne? “Have (you) eaten rice?,” they are not actually asking you if you have eaten rice, they are asking you how you are. This is a very common greeting you will hear among the Rohingya, as rice is a very important part of their culture. Anyone, who has eaten rice, must be doing well. If you are doing fine, you respond by saying Haiyi, haiyi “(I) have eaten, (I) have eaten,” which means I’m fine.
Fill in the missing word!
Here are a few exercises for you to practice your Rohingya greetings and leave-takings: