Is it okay to begin a letter with ‘hi’ when you are writing to someone you don’t know?

(M. Gayathri, Nellore)

‘Hi’ is a greeting which is normally used in informal contexts with people you know. It is a greeting which indicates familiarity with the individual you are talking/writing to. If you are introduced to someone who looks about your age, you may be able to get away with a ‘hi’. If he is older than you, then a ‘hello’ or ‘how do you do?’ is preferable. If you are writing to someone you don’t know, it’s better to play safe. Have a formal beginning: ‘Dear Sir’.

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