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hia

hia

1 9.9
A friendly informal greeting to say hello
  • interjection
  • UK
: ¡hia!
  • Hia, Sarah! How are you?

Examples

  • He waved from across the street and called out hia to get my attention.

  • When I picked up the phone, my friend greeted me with a cheerful hia.

  • She smiled and said hia as she entered the room.

  • Hia!

  • When I entered the party, everyone greeted me with a warm hia.

  • My neighbor always says hia with a smile when we pass each other on the street.

  • As soon as they saw each other, they exchanged quick hias before diving into their conversation.

Synonyms

hey
vshia
  • Informal
∞ 3.6

A short informal call to get someone's attention, greet, or show feelings such as surprise and annoyance

is used mainly to greet rather than for surprise or annoyance
hi
vshia
  • Informal
∞ 1.0

A short friendly greeting you use when you meet someone

is used more generally to greet someone rather than only at first meetings
good morning
vshia
∞ 1.0

A polite greeting people say when they meet in the morning

is an informal greeting used at any time rather than only mornings
howdy
vshia
  • Informal
141 8.1

A friendly, informal way to say hello mainly in the southern United States

is a general informal greeting not tied to a region or dialect
how do you do
vshia
  • Formal
101 6.1

A formal greeting used when meeting someone for the first time that does not need an answer

is the informal casual greeting used generally rather than formal meetings
greeting
vshia
99 1.0

A friendly word or action you use when you meet someone

is used informally in speech rather than in formal situations
hiya
vshia
  • UK
82 8.0

A friendly, informal way to say hello

is the plain informal greeting without the explicit friendly tone
ciao
vshia
  • Informal
51 8.5

A casual way to say hello or goodbye in Italy

is an English informal greeting rather than a term also used for goodbye
bonjour
vshia
46 8.2

A French word used to say hello in the morning or early afternoon

is an everyday informal greeting used at any time in casual speech
yoo
vshia
  • Informal
41 9.9

A short shout people use to greet someone or get their attention

is a simple greeting rather than an attention-seeking shout
aloha
vshia
41 7.9

A Hawaiian word people use to say hello or goodbye

is only a simple informal greeting rather than a dual greeting and farewell
mornin'
vshia
  • Informal
24 8.4

A friendly informal greeting used in the morning

is a general informal greeting not limited to morning use
hai
vshia
  • Informal
19 9.9

An informal word people use to say hello

is the basic informal greeting rather than this variant form
happenin'
vshia
  • Slang
19 9.9

A casual greeting that asks what is going on

is used to greet without asking about events or someone's state
wassup
vshia
  • Slang
16 9.9

A casual way to ask someone how they are or what they are doing

is a simple greeting that does not pose a casual question
holla
vshia
  • Slang
10 9.9

A short, informal shout to greet someone or get attention

is used mainly to greet rather than to loudly call for attention
hoy
vshia
  • Archaic
8 9.9

A loud old-fashioned call to get someone's attention

is a modern informal greeting used simply to greet someone
sup
vshia
  • Slang
6 9.9

A short informal greeting used to ask how someone is

is a general greeting rather than a question about activities
suh
vshia
  • Slang
5 9.9

A casual way to say hello to someone

is a normal casual greeting rather than a slangy contraction
heya
vshia
  • Informal
5 8.6

A friendly informal way to say hello

is a neutral informal greeting rather than warm or affectionate
hallo
vshia
  • UK
5 1.0

A short friendly word used to greet someone or get their attention

is an informal greeting used more casually than this neutral form
yoy
vshia
  • Informal
5 9.9

An excited shout used to say hello to someone

is a calm informal greeting rather than an excited or loud one
hullo
vshia
  • UK
2 8.6

A friendly greeting used to get someone's attention

is an informal casual greeting used more widely in speech
yos
vshia
  • Slang
2 9.9

A casual greeting shouted to say hello or get someone's attention

is a regular informal greeting not meant as a loud shout
hoi
vshia
  • UK
1 9.9

A friendly informal way to say hello

is the general informal greeting rather than a regional or playful shout
1 1.0

A warm greeting that makes someone feel welcome

is a general informal greeting without necessarily strong warmth
hola
vshia
1 8.8

A Spanish word used to say hello in a friendly way

is the ordinary informal greeting in English rather than this language-specific form
supp
vshia
  • Slang
1 9.9

A casual hello used to ask how someone is doing

is a straightforward informal greeting without asking about wellbeing
jambo
vshia
1 9.9

A Swahili greeting meaning hello used in East Africa

is the standard informal English greeting rather than this regional language form
hiya doin'
vshia
  • UK
1 9.9

A friendly informal greeting asking how someone is

is a basic greeting without asking how the person is
hey, bitchola
vshia
  • Offensive
9.9

An informal playful greeting friends use to tease or show they like each other

is a neutral informal greeting without the joking or crude tone
warm heita
vshia
  • Informal
9.9

A friendly greeting or small gesture that makes someone feel welcome

is a spoken informal greeting rather than a physical gesture

Surface Forms

hia main

Etymology

Hia is a friendly, short way to say hello. A helpful way to remember it is to think of hi + ya, short for 'you', so hia works like a quick, informal 'hello'.