Meanings
hey1
interjection
alternative hay · alternative heigh
- informalUsed as a tag question, to emphasise what goes before or to request that the listener express an opinion about what has been said.
"Who 's a cur - now - hey?"
1900, Joseph Conrad, Lord Jim, page vi. 54
verbhey (third-person singular simple present heys, present participle heying, simple past and past participle heyed)
present singular third person heys · participle present heying · participle past heyed · past heyed · alternative hay · alternative heigh
- informalTo greet with a "hey"
hey2
nounhey (plural heys)
plural heys
- informalcountry dancingA choreographic figure in which three or more dancers weave between one another, passing by left and right shoulder alternately.
hey3
Hey4
Synonyms & antonyms
interjectionAn exclamation to get attention.
Similar
interjectionAn expression of surprise.
Similar
interjectionAn informal greeting, similar to hi.
Similar
Origin
hey · interjection, verb
- Old English*hē
- Middle Englishhey
- Englishhey
From Middle English hey, hei, also without h- in ey, from Old English *hē, ēa (interjection), attested as first element in hēlā, ēalā (“O!, alas!, oh!, lo!”). Cognate with Dutch hé, hei (“hi, hey”), German hei (“hey, wow”), Danish and Swedish hej (“hello, hey”), Faroese hey (“hey, hello”), Old Norse, Icelandic and Norwegian hei (“hey”), Polish hej (“hey, hello”), Romanian hei, Russian эй (ej, “hey”); see heigh. Probably a natural expression, as may be inferred from its presence with similar meaning in many other unrelated languages: for example, Burmese ဟေး (he:), Finnish hei, Unami hè, and Mandarin 哎 (āi), and various sound-alikes as Ancient Greek εἶα (eîa) and Latin eia, eho, Sanskrit हे (he). See also hello.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →hey · noun
- Frenchhaie“hedge”
- Englishhey
From French haie (“hedge”), with reference to the weaving patterns used in hedgelaying. Doublet of hedge and quay.
More words from French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek οὗτος, αὕτη
- οὗτος (hoûtos)exclamation to get attention
- αὕτη (haútē)exclamation to get attention
- ἄγε (áge)exclamation to get attention
- ἄγετε (ágete)exclamation to get attention
Arabic يَاه, اسمع
- يَاه (yāh)exclamation to get attention
- اسمعexclamation to get attention
- هَلَا (halā)informal greeting
Bulgarian хей
- хей (hej)exclamation to get attention
Catalan ep, ei
- epexclamation to get attention
- eiexclamation to get attention
- epprotest or reprimand
- eiinformal greeting
- ehrequest for repetition or explanation
Chinese Cantonese 喂
- 喂 (wai³)exclamation to get attention
Chinese Mandarin 喂, 哎
- 喂 (wèi)exclamation to get attention
- 哎 (āi)exclamation to get attention
- 嗨 (hāi)exclamation to get attention
- 嘿 (hēi)exclamation to get attention
- 嗨 (hāi)informal greeting
Czech hele, hej
- heleexclamation to get attention
- hejexclamation to get attention
Danish hallo, hallo
- halloexclamation to get attention
- halloprotest or reprimand
- hejinformal greeting
- hejcountry dancing figure
Dutch hé, hé
- héexclamation to get attention
- héprotest or reprimand
- helaprotest or reprimand
- hoprotest or reprimand
- holaprotest or reprimand
- hèexpression of surprise
- huhexpression of surprise
- hoiinformal greeting
- héinformal greeting
- heycountry dancing figure
Esperanto he, hej
- heexclamation to get attention
- hejexclamation to get attention
- hejinformal greeting
Estonian hei, hei
- heiexclamation to get attention
- heiprotest or reprimand
- ohohexpression of surprise
- ohooexpression of surprise
Finnish hei, hei
- heiexclamation to get attention
- heiprotest or reprimand
- oh-hohexpression of surprise
- heiinformal greeting
- terveinformal greeting
- moroinformal greeting
- heirequest for repetition or explanation
- heimeaningless beat marker, filler syllable
French hé, hé
- héexclamation to get attention
- héprotest or reprimand
- holàexpression of surprise
- coucouinformal greeting
German Hallo, ey
- Halloexclamation to get attention
- eyprotest or reprimand
Hindi अरे, अजी
- अरे (are)exclamation to get attention
- अजी (ajī)exclamation to get attention
- हे (he)exclamation to get attention
- रे (re)exclamation to get attention
Hungarian hé, hahó
- héexclamation to get attention
- hahóexclamation to get attention
- figyeljexclamation to get attention
- figyuexclamation to get attention
- álljprotest or reprimand
- ácsiprotest or reprimand
- nocsakexpression of surprise
- nahátexpression of surprise
- hahóinformal greeting
- hellóinformal greeting
- micsodarequest for repetition or explanation
Irish hé, hóigh
- héexclamation to get attention
- hóighexclamation to get attention
- hóighinformal greeting
Italian ehi, ou
- ehiexclamation to get attention
- ouexclamation to get attention
- ehiprotest or reprimand
Japanese おい, ねえ
- おい (oi)exclamation to get attention
- ねえ (nē)exclamation to get attention
- おい (oi)protest or reprimand
- オラ (ora)expression of surprise
- ヘイ (hei)informal greeting
Korean 이봐, 어이
- 이봐 (ibwa)exclamation to get attention
- 어이 (eoi)exclamation to get attention
- 야 (ya)exclamation to get attention
Latin heus, eho
- heusexclamation to get attention
- ehoexclamation to get attention
- salveexclamation to get attention
- salveteexclamation to get attention
- ehoinformal greeting
- omeaningless beat marker, filler syllable
- ōmeaningless beat marker, filler syllable
- jomeaningless beat marker, filler syllable
Latvian klau, eu
- klauexclamation to get attention
- euexclamation to get attention
Malay weh, wei
- wehexclamation to get attention
- weiexclamation to get attention
- hoiexclamation to get attention
- woiexclamation to get attention
Māori ētē, hā
- ētēexclamation to get attention
- hāexclamation to get attention
Persian هی, هلا
- هی (hey)exclamation to get attention
- هلا (halâ)exclamation to get attention
Polish hej, ej
- hejexclamation to get attention
- ejexclamation to get attention
- eexclamation to get attention
- ejprotest or reprimand
- ejżeprotest or reprimand
- holaprotest or reprimand
- oexpression of surprise
- ojejexpression of surprise
- hejinformal greeting
Portuguese ei, ei
- eiexclamation to get attention
- eiprotest or reprimand
- epaprotest or reprimand
- opaprotest or reprimand
- epaexpression of surprise
- opaexpression of surprise
- oiinformal greeting
- e aíinformal greeting
- hãrequest for repetition or explanation
- hemrequest for repetition or explanation
- émeaningless beat marker, filler syllable
- heymeaningless beat marker, filler syllable
Romanian hei, hop
- heiexclamation to get attention
- hopexpression of surprise
Russian эй, эй
- эй (ej)exclamation to get attention
- эй (ej)protest or reprimand
- э (e)protest or reprimand
- ой (oj)expression of surprise
- ух ты (ux ty)expression of surprise
- ого́ (ogó)expression of surprise
- ого́ (ohó)expression of surprise
- о (o)informal greeting
- ку-ку (ku-ku)informal greeting
- что (što)request for repetition or explanation
- чо (čo)request for repetition or explanation
Scottish Gaelic hòigh, haoidh
- hòighexclamation to get attention
- haoidhexclamation to get attention
- hòighinformal greeting
- shin thuinformal greeting
Spanish imperative oír, hey
- imperative oírexclamation to get attention
- heyexclamation to get attention
- eyexclamation to get attention
- ehexclamation to get attention
- haoexclamation to get attention
- oeexclamation to get attention
- imperative oírprotest or reprimand
- heyprotest or reprimand
- eyprotest or reprimand
- ehprotest or reprimand
- oeprotest or reprimand
- heyexpression of surprise
Swedish du, hallå
- duexclamation to get attention
- hallåexclamation to get attention
- öhexclamation to get attention
- hallåprotest or reprimand
- duprotest or reprimand
- öhprotest or reprimand
- ojexpression of surprise
- hejinformal greeting
- hejsaninformal greeting
- tjenainformal greeting
- tjainformal greeting
- hallårequest for repetition or explanation
Tagalog hoy, uy
- hoyexclamation to get attention
- uyexclamation to get attention
- oyexclamation to get attention
- huyexclamation to get attention
- oiexclamation to get attention
- uiexclamation to get attention
- hoyprotest or reprimand
- uyprotest or reprimand
- oyprotest or reprimand
- huyprotest or reprimand
- oiprotest or reprimand
- uiprotest or reprimand
Tamil ஏ, அடேய்
- ஏ (ē)exclamation to get attention
- அடேய் (aṭēy)exclamation to get attention
- டேய் (ṭēy)exclamation to get attention
- ஏய் (ēy)exclamation to get attention
Ukrainian гей, ей
- гей (hej)exclamation to get attention
- ей (ej)exclamation to get attention
Vietnamese ê, này
- êexclamation to get attention
- nàyexclamation to get attention
- ơiexclamation to get attention
- êprotest or reprimand
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with hey
All rhymes →Sounds the same
hayhae (pane–pain merger)hayhae (pane–pain merger)hayhae (pane–pain merger)hayhae (pane–pain merger)
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
hey. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hey
MLA
“hey.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hey. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hey,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hey.
Source: hey on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.