Is “Good Day” a Proper Greeting?

“Good day” is used as a formal greeting. It’s good to know whether it’s correct before using it yourself. It also might help to come up with another way to say “good day” in a letter or email when addressing someone. This article will explain everything you need to know.

Is “Good Day” a Proper Greeting?

“Good day” is a proper greeting and is correct English. You may use it when referring to the day in general, regardless of the current time. It’s like saying “good morning” or “good evening” without worrying about the current time.

good day greeting

It’s grammatically correct and formal. You may use it when addressing someone you’re seeing for the first time. Interestingly, it also works well as a farewell phrase.

“Good day” is great to use as a closer for a conversation. It’s more common to find it used as a way to say goodbye rather than hello. This is because “good day” is generally short for “have a good day.”

Nevertheless, it’s still correct as a greeting, but it’s an old-fashioned one. You won’t find many native speakers using it today.

Here are some examples showing you how to use “good day” in a sentence:

  • Good day. How are you? I hope things have started to look up for you.
  • Good day to you, sir! I’m glad we got the chance to explore some of these options.
  • And a good day to you! It’s so nice to see you walking around with a smile.

Now that we’ve covered that “good day” is correct to use, it’s time to look at some alternatives. If you’re still not comfortable using the phrase or would prefer something more informal, these synonyms will help you. We’ve gathered some great suggestions on what to say instead of “good day.”

Other Ways to Say “Good Day”

Other ways to say “good day” are “good morning,” “good afternoon,” and “good evening.” One of the simplest ways to turn this from a snappy farewell into a polite greeting is to be specific about the time. This helps show someone that you’re happy to see them at that time.

1. Good Morning

“Good morning” establishes the time of day. You may use it when greeting someone in the “morning” (i.e. any time before lunchtime). It’s a very common greeting in formal and informal English.

It’s most common in formal English because you’ll see a lot of people you work with in the morning. When you see your colleagues for the first time, you might say “good morning” to greet them.

  • Good morning, sir! How are you doing on this fine morning?
  • Good morning to you! I’m glad that I caught up with you, actually.

2. Good Afternoon

“Good afternoon” works best in the afternoon. It’s another specific time of day, showing that you’re seeing someone for the first time after lunch (in the middle of the day).

There are plenty of situations where this might occur. For example, you might be greeting customers coming into your store in the afternoon, meaning that “good afternoon” is the most appropriate greeting.

  • Good afternoon, everyone. I hope you all brought the work that I asked for.
  • Good afternoon, guys. I’m glad to see your smiling faces.

3. Good Evening

“Good evening” is the last best way to describe the time of day. You should use this when it is later in the evening, but you are still seeing someone for the first time.

For example, you might use this phrase if you go to an evening yoga class at your local gym. It shows that you’re seeing some of the class attendees for the first time during the “evening.”

  • Good evening, Mathew. It’s nice to see you here. I wasn’t sure if you would show up.
  • Good evening. I know things haven’t been easy lately. How are you holding up?

4. Hello

“Hello” is a very simple greeting, but it works well here. It is used to greet someone politely whether you know them well or not.

It’s common to use this when you don’t know the person well because it’s impersonal. You might also find that “hello” works well when you’re close to the person you’re greeting as it is one of the simplest greetings in English.

  • Hello! I’m so happy you’re here. I have a few questions to ask you.
  • Hello, there. I’ve looked into some of the issues you presented, and I believe I have a few answers.

5. Howdy

“Howdy” is a jokey alternative you can use to say hi to someone. It’s a common greeting, but it’s mainly used as a joke to say hi to your friends.

You should only use this one when greeting friends. It doesn’t work well if you haven’t met someone before because “howdy” is a more informal phrase that might be perceived as a joke.

  • Howdy, buddy! It’s nice to see you around here. Would you like to discuss some stuff now?
  • Howdy, mate! Did you see the game last night? Wasn’t it a good one?

6. Hi

“Hi” is a simple greeting that works well in almost every context. You should use “hi” when seeing someone for the first time during the day. There is no mention of the time of day when “hi” is used.

“Hi” is an impersonal way to greet someone without sharing too much about yourself or your personality. It’s a more informal form for “hello.” Most people use it when greeting people they don’t know very well.

  • Hi, there. I’m not sure if I’m in the right building. I might need some directions.
  • Hi! I’m here to see Jon Walker. Do you know if he’s going to be here?

7. What’s Up?

“What’s up?” is an informal greeting used to ask someone how they are and how their day is going. It’s possible to use questions as greeting statements in English, meaning that a reply to “what’s up?” isn’t required.

However, you may still reply to “what’s up?” if you have something specific to share with the asker. This could help start a proper conversation with them and get to know them better.

  • What’s up? You look quite happy for someone who has just lost his job.
  • What’s up, buddy? I haven’t seen you in such a long time. Are you okay?

8. How Are You?

“How are you?” is another great question alternative. Again, you do not have to reply to this question directly (unless you want to). “How are you?” is a simple greeting showing that you’re meeting someone for the first time today.

It’s great to use this when you are friendly with the person you meet. It shows you’re interested in their life, even if they don’t have anything interesting to share yet.

  • How are you? I’ve got a few things I need to work on, but I’m happy to share your company.
  • How are you, then? Would you like to discuss some of these matters in a private setting?

9. How’s it Hanging?

“How’s it hanging” is the most informal question synonym you can use. It checks to see what’s “hanging” in someone’s life, a slang term for asking how something is “going.”

“How’s it hanging?” means “How’s it going?” It’s used when trying to appear friendly and approachable.

  • How’s it hanging, chap? It’s been such a long time since we’ve been able to catch up.
  • How’s it hanging? I’m not sure what we’re supposed to do here. I’m just happy to be a part of this.

Is “Good Day” a British Greeting?

“Good day” is most commonly used as a farewell in British English. It’s usually said flippantly as someone leaves the room. People will often say it after a disagreement or problem they might have had with someone.

While we’ve shown you how to say “good day” politely, this isn’t always the case. There are plenty of other ways to use “good day.” In British English, you’re more likely to come across a situation like this:

  • I have nothing more to say to you, Bradley. Good day.

Here, “good day” is used as an abrupt variation of “goodbye.” It shows that you do not want to continue conversing with someone and would rather leave them before you get more annoyed.