Good night in Greek
καληνύχτα
kalinichta — good night
Hear καληνύχτα
Searchers spell this one three or four different ways, and the reason is a sound English does not have. Καληνύχτα is καλή (good) plus νύχτα (night), and the χ in the middle is the soft rasp at the end of Scottish "loch" — not a k, and not the ch of "church". Romanise it kalinichta and stress the third syllable, ka-li-NICH-ta.
It is a parting word only. Greeks say it when someone is leaving for the night or going to bed, never on arrival, however late the hour. For meeting people in the evening the word is καλησπέρα.
A softer variant you will hear inside families is καληνύχτα και όνειρα γλυκά, good night and sweet dreams, usually to children. Among friends a plain καληνύχτα does everything it needs to.
Example sentences
Καληνύχτα, τα λέμε αύριο.
Kalinichta, ta leme avrio.
Good night, see you tomorrow.
Καληνύχτα, καλά όνειρα.
Kalinichta, kala oneira.
Good night, sweet dreams.
Related forms
- καλησπέρα (kalispera) — good evening — used on meeting
- όνειρα γλυκά (oneira glika) — sweet dreams
Common questions
- Is it kalinichta or kalinikta?
- Καληνύχτα has a χ, which is why you see it romanised as kalinichta, kalinikta and kalinihta. None of them capture it exactly. The sound is the soft rasp of Scottish "loch", closer to a breathy h than to a hard k.
- Can you use καληνύχτα as a greeting?
- No. It is only for parting or for going to bed. Greeting someone in the evening takes καλησπέρα.
Quick check
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