privet

Privet is an informal Russian greeting meaning “hello” or “hi.”

• In Cyrillic, it is written привет.
• Use it with friends, classmates, relatives, or peers—not usually in formal business situations.
• A more formal Russian greeting is Здравствуйте (zdravstvuyte), meaning “hello.”

Synonyms and related expressions:

• Hi — the closest everyday English equivalent.
• Hey — very casual.
• Приветик (privetik) — a cuter, friendlier diminutive, like “hii.”
• Здарова (zdarova) — very informal Russian slang, similar to “yo” or “what’s up.”

Background: The word comes from an older Slavic root connected with greeting or welcoming someone. It is now one of the most common casual greetings in Russian.

Examples:

1. Привет, как дела? — “Hi, how are you?”
2. I texted my friend, “Privet! Are you free tonight?”
3. She walked in and said привет to everyone.
4. “Privet, nice to meet you,” he said in Russian.
5. You can start an informal Russian message with привет.