With time, you’ll be able to carry a conversation on the streets of Tokyo and enjoy your favorite Japanese music and films with the subtitles off. Just like greetings mark the beginning of a conversation, the greetings we covered mark the beginning of your Japanese learning journey. Now that you know how to say “hello” in Japanese along with some other common Japanese phrases and useful greetings, you’re ready to put them to use! Greetings are an invaluable and necessary element of the Japanese language that will allow you to make new friends and explore new places. It’s Time to Practice Your Japanese Language Skills ![]() You’ll see all three of these writing systems used alongside each other in Japan. (The second, katakana, is used for foreign words and names.) Kanji are Japanese characters borrowed from China, largely during the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 AD). Hiragana is the first of Japanese’s two phonetic alphabets, which can be used for any and all native Japanese words. The labels in parentheses differentiate between hiragana (ひらがな) and kanji (漢字). You may have noticed that there is often more than one way to write these Japanese greetings. The greeting consists of the honorific imperative form of the verb “ irrassharu” (いらっしゃる) meaning “to come.” Using Different Japanese Alphabets You could hear a business owner or employee use this phrase to welcome customers to their store. You may not have the opportunity to use this greeting in Japanese very often, but you might hear it when you visit a restaurant or shop. It’s the humble form of “ imasu” ( kanji: 言います, hiragana: いいます), which is one of the Japanese verbs that means “to say.” This phrase will be your favorite way of answering the phone from now on! 8. Use this to say “hello” when you answer the telephone. Similarly to “good morning,” this greeting in Japanese can be shortened to create the less formal equivalent, “ oyasumi” (おやすみ). It’s an approximate equivalent to “good night” in English. ![]() Say this to your family or roommates when you’re going to bed, but d on’t use it when you’re leaving a friend’s house for the night. “Oyasumi nasai” means “ goodnight” in Japanese, but the phrase is used slightly differently than it is used in English. Use this greeting when you get home and want to announce your presence! It literally means, “I’ve returned.” It can also be translated as “I’m home.” 6. Related: How to discuss family in Japanese and How to count to 10 in Japanese numbers 5. The structure is the same as that of “ konnichi wa,” the only difference is the use of 晩 ( ban) for “evening” in place of 日 ( nichi) for “day.” “Konban wa” means “good evening,” and you can use this greeting in Japanese to say “hello” at night. Literally, the kanji for “ kon” (今) means “this,” and the kanji for “ nichi” (日) means “day.” “ Wa” (は) is a grammatical particle that marks the main subject of a sentence – in this case, “today.” 4. Think about it like saying “hi” in Japanese. It translates to “good day” or “hello” in English. This is probably the most well-known Japanese greeting. Konnichi wa – “hello” in Japanese language The phrase comes from a respectful conjugation of the verb “ hajimeru” ( kanji: 始める), which means “to begin” or “to start.” In this case, you’re starting a new relationship with someone, so whether it be a potential friend, colleague, or acquaintance, be sure to start off well! 3. ![]() Use it when you’re meeting someone for the first time. This greeting means “Nice to meet you” or “How are you?” in Japanese. If you’re speaking to friends, you might wish to shorten it to “ ohayou” ( kanji: お早う, hiragana: おはよう). “Ohayou gozaimasu” is the full, formal greeting. There are often several different levels of formality. ![]() Basically, the longer the phrase, the more formal it is. The greeting also reflects a common tendency in Japanese expressions, phrases, and verbs. This greeting is how you would say “good morning” in Japanese. Spend a bit of time learning the basics, and you’ll discover just how fun Japanese is to learn! 8 Japanese Greeting Phrases When visiting Japan, locals will appreciate when you say “good morning” or “goodnight” in Japanese, even if the rest of your conversation is in English. Taking on a new phrase in Japanese may seem daunting at first, but you’ll find that this beautiful language is fun and easy to get the basics of. Japaneseīusiness owners use this phrase to welcome customers to their store You can use any number of these popular Japanese greetings to successfully learn how to greet someone in Japanese. Wondering How to Greet Someone in Japanese ? If you’re planning a trip to Japan soon or are trying to learn how to speak Japanese, keep reading to find out some of the most common Japanese greetings. You may wonder how to say “Hello” in Japanese ? Greetings are an important part of any language because they allow you to connect and communicate with others, even as a beginner.
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