Are you ever unsure of how to respond when someone greets you with “Aloha”? Have no fear. You just found the right place for your answers!
In this article, we will uncover the various ways to respond to “Aloha” and the cultural context behind this unique Hawaiian greeting.
Aloha is a general greeting word in Hawaii, similar to Ciao and Good day. Just like the two greeting expressions mentioned, Aloha can be used to mean both Welcome and Goodbye.
Knowing the meaning should make it easier for you to find a suitable response when you are greeted with this word.
Read on to learn all the different ways you can greet someone back with Aloha!
26 Appropriate Ways to Respond to Aloha
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- Hello
- What’s up?
- See you around
- How are you doing?
- How was your day?
- Gotcha!
- Hey
- Bro!
- See you later
- Long time no see!
- Good day
- Welcome
- Farewell
- Bienvenue
- How have you been?
- Is this you?
- Goodbye
- It’s so nice to see you.
- Hi
- Stay safe
- Howdy
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- Give my regards
- I can’t believe my eyes.
- See you on the other side.
- I’ll be back soon.
- Hasta la vista
Hello
If nothing stops you from saying Hello to Hello, nothing should stop you from saying Hello to Aloha or even Aloha to Aloha.
Hello is a greeting word as much as Aloha is. However, Hello is only for starting conversations while Aloha can succeed in ending a conversation. You can use both words at any time of the day and to start conversations.
When a person says Aloha while walking away or leaving your place, you can consider another response that works for departure.
What’s up?
While this sounds like a question, it really is. It is a cliché question that you may have heard over a billion times in the past week. You may even be able to count how many times you actually answered the question.
When most people ask this question, it is only to start a conversation and they do not really care about your answer.
It has become a greeting word so you can say this in response to greeting words like Hi and Aloha.
If you hear Aloha while parting, What’s up will sound absurd.
See you around
This is the first greeting word on this list that is used for departure only. People only say See you around when they are ending conversations or leaving a place.
At times, they actually believe they will see you around. At other times, they only use this expression because they can’t think of something else to say while parting.
You can say See you around in response to Aloha if the word is used while you or another person is leaving a place.
How are you doing?
This is a question that starts conversations, just like What’s up. This question cannot come while departing so you should only use this to greet a person that has arrived.
When a person says Aloha, you don’t have to respond with a greeting. You can respond with a friendly gesture instead.
An example of friendly gestures is a question about the person’s welfare. This question should work perfectly well for that purpose.
How was your day?
This is another question about the person’s welfare. This one focuses on the person’s day but there is very little difference between asking this question and saying How are you doing.
The major difference between the two questions is that this question will most likely get a sincere answer while the other one is more likely to get a cliché response.
Both questions may get a cliché response but a person can consider talking about his or her day rather than thinking of a suitable response for how he or she is doing.
However, it works as a response to Aloha if you are just starting the conversation.
Gotcha!
Gotcha is an informal way to spell Got you. It does not sound like a greeting word but you have to admit that you have heard this once or twice.
Since it is being used virtually everywhere, nothing stops you from greeting people with it also.
It does not sound right to start a conversation with this but you can respond to greeting words like Hello and Aloha i.e. it should come as a response to a greeting word.
It can also work if a person greets you with Aloha while parting. Some people would say I got your back.
Hey
This is a word virtually everyone knows, including unborn babies. Most people are not even thought what Hey means but they just start to use the word in getting the attention of others and it always works for them.
This is similar to saying Hello. You can say this in response to Hello or even to Hey. You can also say this in response to Aloha but you should only use this to start conversations.
When a person says Aloha at the end of a conversation or while working away, this response would be incorrect. Instead, you should use a greeting word that is suitable for departure.
Bro!
You may have heard this word too and you may consider it incorrect as a greeting word. It is totally correct but we are not talking about greeting words only. We are talking about suitable responses to Aloha.
When a person greets you saying Hello, you can choose to respond by saying Bar Boy or you could just howl the person’s name like you just met with the president.
If you have met with someone you know and you are greeted with Aloha, you can exclaim Bro and give him a hug.
Since Bro is a more friendly way to say Brother, it only refers to a male so you can consider something else if you are referring to a female.
You can say Sis or Woman. Some people use Babe. You can also just call the person by his or her nickname.
See you later
This is a parting expression so you should only consider this when you are parting. It does not only work as a response to Aloha.
You can even say this first when the person replies with Goodbye or Aloha.
When a person greets you with Aloha at the start of a conversation, saying this may mean that you think the conversation is coming to an end or you need to be somewhere else.
Long time no see!
This is used very often but we shouldn’t call it cliché. It is not something that is said impulsively. You can’t say this to your friend every day unless you are saying it as a joke.
This is a greeting expression that comes at the start of conversations. Also, it is only said to someone you have not seen in a long time.
If it is someone you see every day, you may say this as a joke or else you would be sounding absurd.
Good day
Aloha can come at any time of the day and even at night. If you want a response that you can make use of at any time of the day, this may be the option for you.
Of course, Ciao works better since it can also be used at night while Good day only seems correct when the day is bright.
While Aloha can start and end conversations, Good day can also do the same. You can respond to Aloha with this and all you have to worry about is the time of day.
Welcome
This word requires no explanation. It can start conversations and can only be used when a person arrives at a place.
The word Welcome is not for starting conversations. Rather, it is for receiving a person warmly to one’s abode or another place.
Aloha can also be used in place of Welcome. When a traveler says Aloha while arriving at your place, you can respond by saying Welcome. However, when he or she is leaving, you should consider a parting response.
Farewell
Farewell simply means Goodbye. It is a greeting word for departure just like Aloha. If Goodbye can be a response to Goodbye, it should also be a correct response to Aloha.
Since Farewell is strictly used while parting, it won’t always be a correct response to Aloha. Therefore, you may want to consider a different response when a person says Aloha on arrival or for starting a conversation.
Bienvenue
This is the French word for Welcome. You don’t have to be French to use this word and you don’t have to be talking to a French either.
Virtually everyone around the world knows the meaning of Bienvenue and it is probably used in conversations everywhere, even by people who know no other French word.
Bienvenue is not for starting conversations. Rather, it is meant to welcome a person warmly to a place.
When a person says Aloha while arriving at your place, you can respond by saying Bienvenue or Welcome.
However, when he or she is leaving, you should consider a parting greeting as a response.
How have you been?
Another way of greeting a person is by asking about the person’s welfare. There are several ways welfare questions are asked, though most of them are not usually answered honestly.
Due to how often they are asked, people seem to have developed answers that come out of their mouths impulsively and may be sometimes untrue.
Since you are just greeting, you shouldn’t care about the response or how honest they are. However, if it is someone who is interested in having a chat with you, you may get him or her talking about incidents in detail.
Is this you?
This sounds like a very stupid and needless question but it only seems so while you are reading this.
It is a rhetorical question and you should not expect a response. This question shows your astonishment.
When you ask this question, you are making the person believe that you can’t believe your eyes. You are showing that you are extremely surprised to be seeing the person in front of you.
You can say this if you hear Aloha from someone you haven’t seen in a long time. Since you will be showing surprise, it must be honestly how you feel.
Goodbye
After a long list of synonymous words and expressions, you may want to consider the simplest word. When a person says Aloha while departing, you can simply say Goodbye and walk away.
It’s so nice to see you
This is another expression that shows your surprise to see a person. It doesn’t have to be exaggerated though.
It may be someone that you are not expecting to see or a person who has shown up at the right time when you need him or her.
You should say this if that person calls your attention with Aloha.
Hi
Hi starts conversations and can be a correct response to greeting words and expressions that start conversations including Aloha.
However, if Aloha is used while parting, Hi will be incorrect.
Stay safe
Does this seem unrelated? Well, it isn’t. You can wish someone a safe journey while he or she is parting with you. You can also simply say Stay safe.
This short phrase would be a perfect response if the person says Aloha before setting off.
Howdy
This greeting word can also respond to Aloha but it can only start conversations. When departing, it would be incorrect to say Howdy.
Give my regards
This expression is often used during departure. You can say this if the person is going to a place where he or she would be in close contact with a family member or someone you may know. If not, this response would sound weird.
I can’t believe my eyes
You may be unable to believe your eyes if you see someone you do not expect to see. You should say this if this is how you feel.
It can only be used at the start of conversations.
See you on the other side
This has a dark meaning but it will be taken as a joke. You should respond with this when a person says Aloha while parting with you.
I’ll be back soon
A person can say Aloha when you are leaving somewhere. You can simply respond by saying that you will be back soon.
Hasta la vista
This is a Spanish phrase that means See you later. It is another way of saying Goodbye so it is only correct as a response if Aloha is said while parting.