The literal answer is:
Kedu — KEH-doo
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Here’s the surprise: Kedu doesn’t mean “hello.”
It means how is it? Or what is? Or how are you?
Igbo doesn’t really have a generic, content-free hello. Every Igbo greeting is a question. The opening word Kedu is asking you something — and waiting for an answer.
That’s why diaspora kids who memorize “Kedu” as “hello” and stop there often get a confused look. The other person was expecting a reply.
Igbo doesn’t have a passive hello
English “hello” is a token — a verbal nod. Two people can pass each other on the street, say “hi” simultaneously, and never break stride. The word demands nothing.
Igbo greetings, by contrast, are check-ins. They are the start of a small exchange. Nobody just says Kedu and walks past — that would be like asking “how are you?” in English and ignoring the answer. Rude.
The cultural assumption is: if you’re going to acknowledge someone, you’re going to find out how they are.
- Kedu opens. Ọ dị mma answers. How is it? — It is well. That’s the minimum two-line exchange. One-line Kedu is incomplete.
- There’s a parallel formal greeting for elders. Ndeewo — a respectful greeting that doesn’t require an answer. This is closer to a pure “hello,” reserved for honoring an elder. Use this when you don’t want to put a great-aunt to the trouble of answering you.
- The greeting often comes with a touch. Hand on the shoulder, a small bow, a slight curtsy. Igbo greetings are usually embodied.
The diaspora reflex is fast and content-free: Hey grandma! — wave and gone. Igbo says: Kedu, mama? — stop, look, wait for her answer.
Variations to know
- Kedu — how is it? / how are you? The standard.
- Kedu ka ị mere — how have you been? Fuller form for someone you haven’t seen in a while.
- Ndeewo — formal greeting to elders. Doesn’t require an answer.
- Ndeewo nu — formal greeting to a group of elders.
- Kedu ihe na-eme — what’s happening? / what’s up? More casual, peer-to-peer.
- Ọ dị mma — it is well. The standard answer to Kedu.
When to say it
- Walking into a room. Kedu to the room, Ndeewo to the eldest person specifically. Both. In that order.
- On a phone call. Even if you spoke yesterday. Mama, kedu? Then the actual conversation.
- Greeting a friend after even a short gap. Days, not weeks — Igbo greets often.
- Meeting someone new. Kedu paired with a handshake or small bow.
- In a market, before haggling. Kedu, mama? before asking for prices. The greeting is what makes you a person, not a customer.
The thing to skip: using Kedu as a passing wave-word. Igbo greeting expects engagement.
Teaching it to your kids
This is the foundational greeting. Every other interaction depends on it.
Three minutes:
- Say Kedu — KEH-doo.
- Teach them the answer too: Ọ dị mma. Practice the back-and-forth.
- Tell them: it’s not “hi.” It’s how are you? You have to wait for the answer.
The second lesson — wait for the answer — is the harder one. Most kids will say Kedu! and barrel forward. Slow them down. That pause is the relationship.
For more everyday Igbo phrases — greetings, family terms, expressions of care — IgboLearn’s free starter pack has 50 essentials you can teach in a week.
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