Everywhere you go in Sweden, people “hej” at you. If you don’t know that “hej” means “hello” in Swedish, you might be slightly confused as to why everybody is trying to get your attention. Because that’s what we use “hey” for in English, among many other things, right?
“Hej!” in Swedish doesn’t have any of the negative English “hey!” connotations. Instead, it’s a multi-purpose greeting used by practically everyone in the country. It sounds awfully familiar, doesn’t it? Like the kind of word you’d only say to those with whom you have a personal relationship. Yet in Sweden that word managed to cross from being just an interjection in casual speech to a national greeting.
And how did that happen?
The urban legend goes that in the late 1960s many foreign tourists complained that Swedes lacked proper etiquette when it came to greetings and social interactions. And because of that, the country was perceived as less than polite. The national Tourist Board overlords decided to quickly rectify this situation and instructed all hospitality workers to show off their good manners by greeting all and any customers. And a helpful linguistic genius came up with the idea of promoting the use of “hej”. It made perfect sense, “hej” is a simple word, sounds almost the same in any language and anybody can pronounce it correctly. In no time it became the standard greeting in the tourist industry. And from there, it migrated to other walks of life. That’s the story was told to me by an official from the Stockholm Tourist Office.
Is there any truth in this legend? A little. Among certain groups of people, “hej!” had been used as a greeting since the mid 1800s. Then around 1870s, when the students in Uppsala got the wind of it, the word became more and more popular. In the beginning of course, it was a greeting only used with people one was familiar with. You wouldn’t go all “hej!” on perfect strangers. For those occasions, Swedish had (and still has) more refined ways of saying “hello”.
Then came the radical 1970s. Sweden had just gone through a massive overhaul of its national language, the process known as “du-reformen”. Suddenly, it became OK to use the pronoun “du” (second person, singular) when talking to total strangers. Egalitarianism at its finest! “Hej!” quickly followed suit and became the greeting of choice for the masses.
Today, in addition to “hej!”, you may also hear these two variants:
Hej hej! = when said twice it implies friendliness and excitement to see you.
Hejsan! = this would be the “polite” version of “hej!” that you say when you want to be just a little bit more “official” and “proper.”
And finally,
Hejdå! = meaning “goodbye”.
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9 Comments
The word hej or hey puzzels me. When someone says that word I expect people to stop as I am hard of hearing. But most of the time the person is gone
/Maria
Anna:
I it is with joy and anticipation that I, on a daily basis if possible, tune in on your blog about daily life in Sweden. Your article on blueberry picking brought back warm childhood memories of my family’s yearly foray (actually our three day yearly vacation)into blueberry country in Western Canada, the blueberry area was located some sixty miles north of our farm.So we rattled in a Model T Ford these sixty miles over gravel roads armed with the necessary pots and pans needed for efficient berry picking as well as the detailed instructions from Dad regarding the way the job should be carried out. So, with Dad supervising we marched into blueberry country, a land of towering spruce trees, sandy soil and mosquitoes. We, each and every one had a quota to fulfil and Dad was there to ensure that the quotas were met To be sure the quotas were not very onerous but to an eight year old berry picking was not at the top of the list of delightful activities. Looking back some eighty years leaves one with a warm feeling of nostalgia and a wish that the experience could somehow be repeated. Such is life!! Incidentally, my dad and mother immagrated from Sweden early in the ninteen hundreds and began farming in an almost totally Swedish and Norwegian community. It was into this community that I was born in 1920.
I am almost certain that I began speaking Swedish before I spoke English.
Anna, keep up the good work — your blog is delightful–
Ivor
Ivor,
Thank you so much for your wonderful comment. It’s comments like yours that warm my heart and make me glad I write this blog!
My best,
Anna
On our travels to Sweden to visit family, ‘Hej’ is said with heartfelt kindness every time by every one. There is nothing negative or challenging about it, and it is a very welcoming sound. Americans might be a little TOO defensive.
Hej då!
Hi NJSwede!
I think the problem here lies with the different “hejs”, so to speak. As you know, in the US, “hey!” has a slightly different tone and context. Even though both “hejs” sound the same, the frame of reference is a bit different. I guess for some people it might be hard to make the switch, especially if they’re not used to the friendly Swedish “hej!”. Know what I’m sayin’?
…Hej! I am posting my first comment to your blog but I have been receiving your blogs since Augusti. I am new here in Swedenand find everything strange because I am used to hearing others speaks in english or in my own native tounge. I am also taking the infamous SFI course before I can do anything at all. I am bored but what can I do? Nothing, really!!
… Keep up the good works, I am ‘läsa’ing what you skriv, lol! I like what you write. I have a friendster and I am bloging my heart out there. If you happen to have one please visit it one of this day. Ty again.
Hej!
Interesting article.
However, as a Swede I would disagree with what you write when it comes to the variation Hejsan. It is not a more formal way of saying Hej, but in my experience it is rather the opposite. Something you say when you want to be a bit more friendly or casual
Greetings!
Hi Christina!
You know, I thought exactly the same as you, but the lady at Svenska Akademien whom I asked about it when I was preparing that post explained that it was actually the opposite. And so I followed what she said and wrote it as such. After all, who am I to argue with an expert from Svenska Akademien, right?
true… they are supposed to know… although language belongs to the people who speak it and not to a few experts…
Maybe it was originally used as a formal way of saying hi and nowadays used as a less formal way…? I don’t know, but it is a common word and everyone I have met who has used it has used it in an informal way of saying hej, both in written and spoken Swedish. If you get a formal letter it will never ever says ‘Hejsan’, but it sometimes starts with ‘Hej’…