Table of Contents
Intro
Saying "hello" in Japanese isn’t as simple as you might think. You might have heard that "konnichiwa" means "hello" in Japanese, and while it can mean that, the context is very important. In fact, there is no direct translation of "hello," so different words are used when you want to greet someone. Today we will go over a few of these situations, so you can learn how to say hello, depending on who you are talking to, at what time of day, and what is happening around you.
Greeting based on time of day
Let’s start by exploring how to say hello at different times of the day.
When you want to greet someone in Japanese, the words you will use will differ depending on the time, much like how we say "good morning" or "good evening" in English.
Good Morning (polite) - おはようございます - ohayou gozaimasu
To greet someone in the morning we would use the expression おはようございます.
This is used for formal occasions, with people you don’t know well, at work, or in professional settings.
Here's an example:
Youtube source: Megane Japanese Teacher | Japanese Lesson 28 [〜Nagara] Minna no Nihongo 28 [JLPT N4]
Sentence starts at 5:47
Good morning (casual) - おはよう - ohayou
If you want to say good morning to your friends and family, or in more casual situations, simply drop the ございます at the end and say おはよう. This can also be used for anyone below you in social status like employees or children.
Youtube source: 新木優子 / YUKO ARAKI | 香港３日旅 🥟🍜🍔 大行列スイーツ＆東洋 No.1 バーガー｜ Amazing 3-day gourmet trip to Hong Kong
Sentence starts at 10:20
Daytime - こんにちは - konnichiwa
In the daytime, こんにちは is normally used. There is no set rule as to when this is used, but normally between noon and when it is dark outside. You can use this expression in both formal and informal situations. If you are familiar with Japanese grammar, you will note the use of the particle は being used here. Remember, in this case, because it is a particle, は will be pronounced "wa" rather than "ha."
Youtube source: さきぃ･֊･ | I wanna be k-pop star "makeup"
Sentence starts at 00:08
Good evening - こんばんは - konbanwa
In the evening, any time after dark, you should use the expression こんばんは. As you can see this also uses the particle は. This can also be used with anyone as it is neither formal nor informal.
Youtube source: ウェザーニュース CLIP | [Oshima Rinon] Weather girl with excellent relationship of trust with staff [Tale]
Sentence starts at 00:10
Greeting casually
Other than the standard greetings for the time of the day, you might also want to greet your friends in a more casual way. After all, we rarely say "hello" in English when meeting friends. We usually stick to more casual expressions like "hey" or "yo!"
With friends, casually - あ - ah
In Japanese, these expressions are usually different depending on whether you identify as a man or woman. This is a common theme in the language, with some sayings and even grammar differing between genders.
For both men and women, saying hello to friends can be as simple as saying あ and then stating their name. Much like we would say "Oh, Susan!"
Youtube source: komaruR | Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch - The Unofficial Movie 「only ~40min of EN Fan Subs」
Sentence starts at 1:33:48
With male friends, casually - おい/よ - oi/yo
Men will more often use the phrases おい or よ to say hello to friends and those close to them.
Youtube source: 劇団スカッシュ(SQUASHfilms) | 「サラリーマンは踊る」前編 セリフリクエスト短編ドラマ MAHOTO コラボ Dancing Office worker the first volume
Sentence starts at 1:39
Special scenarios
Long time no see - お久しぶりです - ohisashiburi
You can also greet someone by saying that it's been a long time since you saw them last. This expression in Japanese is お久しぶりです. There is no set time length with which to use it, but the general rule of thumb is more than a few weeks. Of course, this can also be used sarcastically when running into someone after just a few minutes.
Youtube source: ONETOP FILM | 「Short Film『I miss you』 / shortfilm shortmovie sadstory
You can shorten this phrase when you are talking to someone closer to you like friends and family. In this case, just remove the お at the beginning and the です at the end.
Sentence starts at 7:08
Visiting homes - お邪魔します - ojamashimasu
When visiting someone's house, there is a special expression that is used in Japanese. お邪魔します which literally means "I am about to be intrusive," but it is used to say hello when walking in the door. This is a set expression used for anyone, regardless of formality. This can also be used when you walk into someone's office or step into any space considered personal.
Youtube source: KamuraFufu VanCamp | 【車内紹介】初のキャンピングカーをレンタルして 30 代カップルが大興奮。-15℃ の北海道で過ごす夜。
Sentence starts at 2:41
On the phone - もしもし - moshimoshi
When on the phone, the word for hello in Japanese is special. もしもし simply means "hello" but it is only used for phone calls. It comes from the verb もうす which means "to say" but nowadays it is used only as a greeting.
Youtube source: Let's speak Japanese with Yuki | Japanese Practice / Intermediate [monode/monde] Conversation
Sentence starts at 7:14
Greeting customers in a store - いっらしゃいませ - irasshaimase
Lastly, if you are walking into a store or shop, you will hear the phrase いっらしゃいませ which means "hello" or "welcome!" This super polite phrase is used to speak to customers and you will often hear multiple shopkeepers yelling it when anyone enters a shop or restaurant.
Youtube source: Daily Japanese with Naoko | 【Ordering in Japanese】Please watch this before you go to a restaurant in Japan ☺︎ Easy Japanese
Conclusion
Now that we've learned about the art of saying hello in Japanese, it's clear that understanding the context in which they are used is important.
The more examples we see, the easier it is to build a memory association of the correct usage. This is where HayaiLearn shines, with its functionality to easily lookup Youtube video examples for any vocabulary and grammar.
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