Scottish Greetings: How to Say "Hi" in Scots

The most iconic everyday greeting in Scots (the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster) is:

"Fit like?"

Pronunciation: /fɪt laɪk/ (rhymes with "bit like")

Literal meaning: "What like?" → "How are you?" / "What's your condition?"

Usage: Casual, friendly, all-purpose greeting—equivalent to "How's it going?" or "Alright?"

Typical response: "No bad," "Aye, no bad," "Chuggin' alang," "Fair dinkum"

Other Common Scots Greetings

• "Hiya" / "Hi" / "Hello" – Universal, especially urban/younger speakers
• "Awrite?" – "All right?" (glottal stop on 't')
• "Hou's it gaun?" – "How's it going?"
• "Whit's occurrin'?" – "What's happening?" (popularized by Still Game)
• "Guid morning/afternoon/evening" – Time-specific, slightly more formal
• "See ye!" / "Cheerio!" / "Tara!" – Goodbyes

Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) Greetings

Distinct Celtic language (Highlands/Islands):

• "Halò" – Hello (borrowed from English)
• "Madainn mhath" – Good morning
• "Feasgar math" – Good afternoon/evening
• "Ciamar a tha thu?" – How are you? (informal)
• "Ciamar a tha sibh?" – How are you? (formal/plural)

Regional Note

"Fit like?" is especially associated with Doric (Northeast Scots: Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray). In Glasgow, "Awrite?" dominates. In Edinburgh, "Hiya" or "Hello" are common. But "Fit like?" is widely recognized nationwide as distinctly Scots.