You might be surprised to learn that there are various ways in which people greet each other and even different ways to say hello in Ghana. We will also discuss the significance of these greetings and give advice on what you can do when greeted by a new acquaintance. This is important because greeting someone is an act which involves showing respect, so if you fail to make an appropriate response then you could offend them or lose their respect – either way, it’s not something that should be taken lightly. How do you say hello in ghanaian ? Most Ghanaians greet each other by simply saying “hello”. This is the most common greeting that can be used in Ghana.
Common Prejudices About How Do You Say Hello In Ghanaian :
1. Going to the person’s house first and then saying hello.
This is wrong because it shows a lack of respect. It is considered rude to go to someone’s house first before saying hello in Ghana, so this is not something that you should do when greeting someone new.
2. Greeting the people going outside first before those who are still inside.
Greeting people outside the home first is also considered bad because it gives them an impression that you are not interested in their greetings or that you do not care about them by refusing to say hello until they leave their homes for work or for school.
3. Wearing hats while greeting people.
It is totally wrong to wear a hat while you’re greeting people as it will make you look pompous and also give a bad impression to the person that you are trying to greet. It’s okay to be wearing sunglasses when greeting someone, just make sure not to show them the glare of your glasses.
4. Trying to introduce yourself before the other person has even said hello.
This one is also wrong because if you don’t introduce yourself first, then they might think that you have no manners and that your intentions might be bad towards them, or too forward in trying to meet them or something along those lines.
5. Using too many informal greetings.
This is very wrong because it shows a lack of respect. Greeting people using their names or by some shortened term is acceptable in most cases, but if you overuse it without even trying to use their formal or full names, then it will be considered rude and disrespectful and can cause offense, especially among the older generation.
6. From the wrong gender.
It is not easy to distinguish between men and women in Ghana, so it might be very confusing to them if you greet them from the wrong gender. For example, if you greet a female friend by saying hello, but it is a male friend you are talking to then it will have given them the wrong impression that you are interested in meeting him romantically and also that you have issues of changing genders and will prefer to talk with him in this manner as opposed to simply saying hello.
7. Answering their greeting with a greeting of your own kind.
To be honest, there are no ways that you can go wrong with saying hello to a person who has greeted you first depending on the context of your conversation with them. So even if they greet you first, and you’re busy doing something or don’t have time to respond absolutely then that’s okay as long as you respond to them later. However, it is not a very good thing to do to stop what you are doing when someone greets you and then say hello and go back to what you were doing because it seems like you couldn’t care less about their greeting and that will make them feel bad, so it is always good for them not just for the sake of saying hello but also for all other kinds of greetings.
8. Using too formal or “over-the-pants” greetings.
If you greet people by asking them a question, then it is not necessary to first use the word “hello” before they have replied and introduced themselves. It would have been okay if you said hello first, but if they ask you a question which is difficult to answer immediately then it might take them a while before they can respond and may even leave them in a somewhat awkward situation because of your promptness at greeting them – which does not sound very professional or polite at all.
9. Giving a back-handed compliment.
This is also very wrong to do when you are greeting someone because it may make them feel embarrassed in some situations. Back-handed compliments are usually phrases that try to state that something good about the person but in a way indicate that there is something bad about them as well, for example: “Oh! You have grown so tall these days! But isn’t it true that your grades have not been keeping up with your height?” This phrase is considered very disrespectful and offensive on any occasion, and the same goes with greetings.
