hej

• IPA^(key): [ˈɦɛj]

hej

1. hey, hi (an exclamation to call attention)

• IPA^(key): /hɑj/, [hɑ̈j]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aj

hej

1. hi, hello
2. (less common) bye

• (hi): goddag

• (antonym(s) of “hi”): farvel

From Polish hej, English hey, German hei, Latin heus.

• Audio:

  (file)

• IPA^(key): [hej]
• Hyphenation: hej

hej

1. (neologism, informal) hey

hej

1. hi, hello

• aluu

An onomatopoeia.^[1]

• IPA^(key): [ˈhɛj]
• Hyphenation: hej

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛj
• Homophone: hely

hej

1. oh!
2. hey!

• (interjection expressing sorrow, dismay, amazement etc.): hej in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN
• (interjection to attract attention): hej in Bárczi, Géza and László Országh. A magyar nyelv értelmező szótára (“The Explanatory Dictionary of the Hungarian Language”, abbr.: ÉrtSz.). Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 1959–1962. Fifth ed., 1992: →ISBN

Onomatopoeic. Compare Slovak hej.

• IPA^(key): /ˈxɛj/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛj
• Syllabification: hej

hej

1. hey (call for attention)
2. (colloquial) hi, hey (greeting)
3. (dialectal) yeah, yep

   Synonyms: ano, tak, jo

• hej in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• hej in Polish dictionaries at PWN

• IPA^(key): /ɦɛj/

hej (Cyrillic spelling хеј)

1. hi (greeting)
2. hey (exclamation, call for attention)

Compare Polish hej.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɦɛj/

hej

1. (colloquial) yeah, yep

   Synonym: áno

   Antonym: nie

2. hey (exclamation)

• “hej”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2024

Derived from Old Norse hei, likely from Low German hei or German hei. First attested in 1541.^[1]

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɛjː/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛj

hej

1. hi, hello [since 1710]^[1]

   Jag sa hej till din bror i mataffären igår.

   I said hi to your brother at the super market yesterday.

   Hej hej.

   Hello hello.

   • 1960, Britt Lindeborg (lyrics and music), “Hej, mitt vinterland”, in Julefrid med Carola‎^[1], performed by Carola:

     Hej, mitt vinterland, nu är jag här. Nu biter frosten i min kind, ty kall är kvällen. Hej, mitt vinterland, se månen där. Den lyser kyligt trind / kring [differs between versions] på mörka himlapällen. Bjällrans klang friden stör, när vi genom skogen kör. Bofink uti grannens topp, förlåt att vi väckte dig opp. Hej, mitt vinterland, nu är jag här. Och vinter ["vintern" (definite) in some versions], håll i dig / på vinterholiday [possibly the original lyrics, then misunderstood or changed], nu blinkar stugans ljus mot mig, i mitt vita vinterland.

     Hey [or "hi / hello"], my winterland, now I am here. Now the frost bites my cheek, for the evening is cold. Hey, my winterland, look at the moon there. It shines cool and plump / coolly around ["coolly round/plump / around" – differs between versions] in the dark canopy of the sky. The sound of the [jingle] bell disturbs the peace as we ride [drive] through the forest. Chaffinch at [in] the top of the spruce, we're sorry for waking you up [sorry for that we woke you up]. Hey, my winterland, now I am here. And winter, brace yourself / on winter holiday [ad hoc], now the [Christmas, probably] lights of the cottage twinkle ["blink" – tindra (“twinkle”) is less common for electric lights in Swedish] at [toward] me, in my white winterland.

2. (less common) bye

   Synonym: hej då

   Vi syns, hej.

   See ya, bye.

   Hej hej.

   Bye bye.

3. An expression of intensity (in some expressions); hey

   Hej vad det går!

   "Hey how it (stuff, like a party) goes!"

   • 1982, Gyllene Tider (lyrics and music), “Sommartider”‎^[2]:

     Sommartider, hej, hej, sommartider. Ge mig din hunger, ge mig din hand. Ge mig allt du vill och allt du kan. Sommartider, hej, hej, sommartider. Läppar mot läppar som tar mig i land. Som ger sommartider till varann.

     Summer times, hey, hey, summer times. Give me your hunger, give me your hand. Give me everything that you want and everything that you can. Summer times, hey, hey, summer times. Lips against lips, that take me ashore. That give summer times to each other.

4. A filler, in some expressions; hey [since 1849]^[1]

   Hej och hå

   Hey ho

• The most common greeting. Neutral in tone, like English hi, hello. The corresponding farewell hej då is similarly neutral, like English bye, goodbye.
• Traditionally an informal greeting, in modern Swedish it is often found in formal letters or e-mails, where sometimes in English Dear Sir or Madam would be preferred.

• hej kom och hjälp mig

• hälsa (“to greet”)
• hälsning
• hälsningsfras
• med vänliga hälsningar

• hej in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• hej in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)