Greetings
Bună ziua
BOO-nuh ZEE-wah
Good day — the default polite greeting with anyone you do not know. 'Salut' is the casual one and 'Bună' works with almost anyone under forty.
Daily life
Permis de ședere
per-MEES deh SHEH-deh-reh
Residence permit. Issued by IGI after you arrive on a D-series long-stay visa, and the document every other procedure asks for.
CNP
cheh-neh-PEH
Cod Numeric Personal — your personal numeric code. Foreigners get one with the residence permit. Nothing works without it: not a bank account, not a doctor, not a phone contract.
Sector
sec-TOR
One of Bucharest's six numbered districts, each with its own mayor, tax office and administration. Always know yours — half of officialdom sorts you by it.
Bulină roșie
boo-LEE-nuh ROH-shee-eh
The red dot painted on buildings classified in the highest seismic risk category. Not decoration — it is a legal classification with consequences for letting.
Bloc
blohk
An apartment block, usually socialist-era. Most of Bucharest lives in one. 'Apartament în bloc' is the standard rental unit.
Ghișeu
gee-SHEH-oo
The counter window at any public office. 'La ce ghișeu?' — which counter? — is the question that saves you an hour.
Culture
Ștrand / Termale
shtrand / ter-MAH-leh
Open-air pool complex. Therme, just north of the city, is the biggest in Europe and functions as ordinary weekend infrastructure rather than a spa treat.
Food
Mici
MEECH
Grilled skinless minced-meat rolls, eaten with mustard and bread. The national outdoor food and the reason every Romanian park smells of charcoal in summer.
Social
Merge
MER-jeh
'It works' or 'it'll do' — the most Romanian word in daily use. Applied to plumbing, bureaucracy and plans with equal confidence.
Emergency
112
OO-nu OO-nu doy
The single emergency number for everything: police, ambulance, fire, gendarmerie and mountain rescue. Romania has no separate legacy numbers.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.