Australian greetings
Aussies often greet their friends and even people they don’t know by saying “G’day” or “Ow ya goin mate”. Our culture is generally relaxed and informal. (Yes, we do say “hello” too.) You’ll often hear nicknames used between friends that may surprise you. Insults such as calling a friend a “wog” is sign of friendship and acceptance. These comments should not be taken negatively, but as an acceptable joke between mates.
The most used word listed below is “ta”. It doesn’t sound like much of a word. If you’re used to hearing “thank you”, you may need to listen closely to catch it. We may joke around, but we also politely say “ta”.
| Ga day or G’day | a friendly welcome, same as hello or hi. It’s a shortened form of Good Day and pronounced as gidday. It can be used at night as well as during the day. |
| Cheerio | goodbye. Not to be confused with Cheerios which are cocktail sausages in Australia. |
| Hooroo | goodbye or see you later. Sometimes spelled “ooroo” and pronounced with and without the H |
| Toodle-oo | goodbye |
| Ow ya goin’ | a friendly greeting, shortened from “how are you going” |
| Cheers | thanks |
| Ta | thank you |
| You right? | do you need any help? |
| Crikey | wow, used as an exclamation point in a conversation. Old slang, made famous by croc hunter Steve Irwin, but seldom used today by other Aussies. |
| Aussie Salute | not actually words, but a gesture with your hand brushing flies away from your face |
| Tingle | will call you as in “I’ll give you a tingle this arvo”. In the USA you’d say “I’ll ring you this afternoon.” |
| Cooee | someone calling out so their voice can be heard over a distance |
| Ooroo | see Hooroo (above) |
