Moien meaning: what Luxembourgers mean by it, and when to say it

What does moien mean? In Luxembourgish, moien is the everyday greeting — hello, good morning and good afternoon in one word, said to friends and strangers alike. Written with a capital, de Moien is also a noun: the morning. This guide gives the moien meaning straight from the LOD, Luxembourg's official dictionary, with its real recordings, the forms you will hear (gudde Moien, Moie soen, moies) and how to answer. If you just want the greeting, our hello in Luxembourgish page has it in one screen; to see what else you know, try the free Luxembourgish level test.

Updated November 15, 2026 · 5 min read

Moien meaning in one line

The LOD entry for the greeting translates moien as good morning, good afternoon, hello, and into French simply as bonjour. That is the key to using it: moien covers the same ground as French bonjour, so you can say it from the moment you wake up until well into the afternoon — in a shop, at the bakery, to a colleague or to your neighbour. LOD files it under the A1 vocabulary of the course Schwätzt Dir Lëtzebuergesch? — a first-week word. You will meet it on our Luxembourgish course and in the common words list.

De Moien: the morning

The same word, written with a capital because it is a noun, means the morning. The LOD noun entry gives de Moien (masculine), plural Moienter, with French matin, matinée and German Morgen, Vormittag. All Luxembourgish nouns take a capital — see Luxembourgish spelling. Words for the times of day are in our numbers and time list.

Gudde Moien, Moie soen and moies

Three more forms of the word come up every day. Gudde Moien is the full good morning — LOD gives it French bonjour too, and our good morning page has it with audio. Moie(n) soen means to say hello to someone, from soen, to say. And moies, an adverb, means in the morning or mornings (LOD) — the word you need for opening hours and routines.

Why it is sometimes Moie without the n

LOD gives moie and Moie as the n-rule forms of the word. In Luxembourgish, a final -n is dropped before most consonants — so you write Moie soen and Moie gesot, but Moien, wéi geet et? before a vowel or at the end of a sentence. It is the single most common spelling question learners have, and our n-rule guide shows exactly which letters keep the n.

Two idioms: Moien soen that mean more than hello

LOD records two uses of Moien soen that a newcomer would not guess. When two people no longer say Moien to each other, they have fallen out — LOD's explanation is that they have not talked to each other for years. And to go and say Moien to someone is to pay them a short visit. For more everyday expressions like these, see 20 expressions every newcomer hears and Luxembourgish idioms.

How to answer moien — and what comes next

The usual answer to moien is simply moien back. In the evening, people switch to Gudden Owend (good evening); when you leave, it is Äddi or Awar (goodbye). After the greeting come please (wannechgelift), thank you (merci) and excuse me (entschëllegt). All of them, with 32 recordings, are in our Luxembourgish greetings guide, and the whole phrasebook is free.

Saying moien is easy; holding the conversation that follows is what takes practice. If you want a teacher to listen and correct you, Edluxio offers live one-to-one lessons with teachers and professionals in many fields, starting with a trial lesson that is fully refunded if it is not right for you.

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