hoi

Hoi is a casual greeting used in Dutch and Afrikaans, equivalent to the English "hi" or "hello." It is common in informal speech and writing and is widely heard in the Netherlands and Flanders, as well as among Afrikaans-speaking communities in South Africa and Namibia. The tone is friendly and informal; for formal introductions, speakers typically use greetings such as "hallo" or "goede dag." In everyday writing, hoi is frequently employed in text messages, emails, and social media.

Linguistic notes accompany its use. In Greek-derived phrases, the word "hoi" appears as the definite article in the expression "hoi polloi," meaning "the many" or "the masses." The term is used in English to refer to the general population, often with a humorous or ironic tone.

Beyond its role as a greeting, the spelling "Hoi" can also occur as a surname or place name in some language areas, though such uses are uncommon and context-dependent. In general, the primary association of the term remains its function as an informal Dutch and Afrikaans greeting.