Good morning in Greek

Καλημέρα (kalimera) joins καλή (good) and μέρα (day), so it is closer to "good day" than a strictly morning greeting — Greeks keep saying it right up to about one o'clock, when they switch to καλησπέρα. Stress falls on the third syllable: ka-li-ME-ra.

It works in every register. You can say καλημέρα to the bus driver, your hotel receptionist, and a close friend without adjusting anything, which makes it the safest greeting a beginner owns. Add σας for extra politeness — καλημέρα σας — when addressing a group or someone senior.

In villages and apartment stairwells, καλημέρα is not optional small talk; failing to offer it to a neighbour you pass reads as cold. Visitors who greet first, even with nothing else in their Greek, get noticeably warmer service for it.