The first and last words of any interaction carry a lot of weight. Get the greeting right and the rest flows; get it wrong and you sound cold or overly stiff. Here is the full Dutch range, from a breezy hoi to the famous three kisses.
Hellos, casual to formal
| Dutch | Register | When |
|---|---|---|
| hoi / hee / hoihoi | casual | friends, peers, young people |
| hallo | neutral | almost anywhere |
| dag | neutral | hello and goodbye both |
| goedemorgen | polite | until about noon |
| goedemiddag | polite | afternoon |
| goedenavond | polite | evening |
In a shop or office, a friendly goedemorgen or hallo is always safe. Among friends, hoi dominates. As Onze Taal notes, the time-of-day greetings are the polite default with people you do not know.
Goodbyes, casual to polite
| Dutch | Register |
|---|---|
| doei / doeg | casual |
| dag | neutral |
| tot ziens | neutral / polite |
| tot straks / tot zo | see you shortly |
| tot morgen | see you tomorrow |
| fijne dag / prettige avond | warm sign-off |
Doei is the everyday casual goodbye you will hear constantly. Tot ziens is the slightly more formal “goodbye / see you”. Adding fijne dag! (have a nice day) is a warm touch that locals appreciate. Dutch grammar and phrase guides list these as the core set.
The three kisses
Here is the one that makes newcomers nervous. Among friends and family, the traditional Dutch social greeting is three kisses (drie zoenen) on alternating cheeks, starting on one side, then the other, then back. It can feel like a lot if you come from a one-kiss or no-kiss culture.
A few things that make it manageable:
- It is for people you know, not strangers or most work contacts.
- At work, with new people, or with anyone who hangs back, a handshake or just hoi is completely normal.
- Follow the other person’s lead. If they lean in, go with three; if they offer a hand, shake it.
Guides for newcomers like IamExpat confirm the custom is softening and that nobody minds if you stick to a friendly hoi.
Match the room
The real skill is reading the register: casual with friends, polite with strangers and at the counter, warm at goodbye. This is the same instinct you use when choosing je or u and when writing a formal email with geachte or beste.
Where it connects
Greetings open the door to everything else: the everyday phrases expats hear all day, surviving the birthday circle where the kisses come thick and fast, and the phrases to survive your first week.
The bottom line
Scale your greeting to the moment: hoi with friends, goedemorgen or hallo with strangers and at the counter, and doei or tot ziens on the way out, warmed up with fijne dag. Three kisses are for people you know, and a handshake or hoi is always a safe alternative. Watch the other person and match them, and you will fit right in.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches greetings and goodbyes by situation, hoi, goedemorgen, doei, tot ziens, plus the kissing etiquette, in five-minute lessons, so you start and end every interaction on the right note.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say hello in Dutch?
It depends on formality. Hoi and hee are casual hellos between friends, hallo is neutral and works almost anywhere, and the polite, time-based greetings are goedemorgen (good morning), goedemiddag (good afternoon) and goedenavond (good evening). In shops and offices a friendly goedemorgen or hallo is the safe choice. Among young people and friends, hoi is by far the most common.
How do you say goodbye in Dutch?
Casual goodbyes are doei (very common), doeg, and dag (which doubles as both hello and goodbye). More neutral or polite is tot ziens (see you / goodbye). For specific timing: tot straks (see you shortly), tot morgen (see you tomorrow), tot zo (see you in a bit). A warm everyday sign-off is fijne dag (have a nice day) or prettige avond (have a nice evening).
Do Dutch people really give three kisses?
Often, yes, among friends and family. The Dutch social greeting for people you know well is traditionally three kisses (drie zoenen) on alternating cheeks, starting on one side. It is not used everywhere or with everyone: at work, with strangers, or with people who prefer not to, a handshake or just hoi is completely normal. Watch what the other person does and follow their lead.
What is the best app to learn Dutch greetings and everyday phrases?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches greetings and goodbyes by situation, from a casual hoi to a polite goedemorgen and a warm fijne dag, plus the social etiquette around them, in five-minute real-situation lessons, so you always start and end on the right note.
