Greetings

Greetings are essential in Lusoga culture and often involve a back-and-forth exchange.

Common Greetings

Lusoga	English	Remarks
Jambo!	Hi!	Used when passing by - not starting a conversation
Okobaki? Ndiyo	What do you say? What are you saying? I'm there	Pronunciation: o-kho-ba-tsji - ndi jo
Wasuz'otya? Bulungi!	Good morning/How did you sleep?	Note: ' replaces 'e'
Osiiby'otya? Bulungi!	Good afternoon/good evening How is your day? How have you been?
Olyotya? Bulungi!	How are you?
Kodh'eyo? Tuliyo!	What's up on that side? We are there!	'Kodhi eyo' shortened to 'Kodh'eyo'

Time-specific Greetings

Notice how Lusoga greetings often change based on the time of day:

• Wasuz'otya? - Used in the morning, asking about how someone slept
• Osiiby'otya? - Used later in the day, asking about how their day is going

Cultural Notes

• Greetings in Lusoga often come in pairs (question and response)
• Bulungi! is a common positive response meaning "good" or "fine"
• The apostrophe (') often indicates where a letter (usually 'e') has been dropped in casual speech