How do you say hello in Switzerland?

Name: How do you say hello in Switzerland?
Uploaded: 2026-10-17
Duration: 51 s
Description: Grüezi, the polite greeting, in the centre and the east. In the west, around Bern and Solothurn, it is Grüessech. On hiking trails you greet the people you pass, and in rural regions people usually greet each other in the street, even strangers.

Grüezi, the polite greeting, in the centre and the east. In the west, around Bern and Solothurn, it is Grüessech. On hiking trails you greet the people you pass, and in rural regions people usually greet each other in the street, even strangers.

Ep. 42 · Ueli's Word · 51 seconds. Watch

The real rule

Why the Swiss laugh, and what it means if you're new here.

Grüezi is the polite greeting, the one for people you would address as Sie. On a hiking trail, and in many rural places, greeting people you pass is normal, even strangers. As a newcomer, say Grüezi, or Grüessech in the west, and plan a little extra time for the trail.

Swiss German phrases for the supermarket

Blüemli's verdict: Ding. You greet. On hiking trails, people greet each other. In the west: Grüessech.

GRÜEZI: literally: “God greet you”; really: hello, the polite one Ueli's Word

Be like Ueli. Greet everyone. Leave earlier.

Learn more: Swiss German phrases for the supermarket

The rule, explained

Grüezi is short for Gott grüez-i, God greet you, according to the Schweizerisches Idiotikon as cited by Wikipedia. It is the polite greeting, the one for people you address as Sie, and in the west, in Bern and Solothurn, people say Grüessech. SRF 1's Dialektatlas Schweiz agrees: Grüezi in the centre and the east, Grüessech in the west. On hiking, SRF is clear: people greet. The Canton of Lucerne adds, on its page So tickt die Schweiz, that in rural regions people usually greet each other in the street, even strangers. That is why a busy trail takes Ueli forty minutes longer.

Sources: Wikipedia, Grüezi, citing the Schweizerisches Idiotikon; SRF 1, Dialektatlas Schweiz, 7 July 2024; Canton of Lucerne, So tickt die Schweiz

Questions people ask

What does Grüezi mean?

It is short for Gott grüez-i, God greet you, the polite greeting (Schweizerisches Idiotikon, via Wikipedia).

Do you greet strangers when hiking in Switzerland?

Yes. On hiking trails people greet each other (SRF 1 Dialektatlas).

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