The Different Ways to Greet People (Say Hello) In Japanese

One of the first words we learn when starting a new language is how to say “hello.” This simple greeting can open up a world of conversation in English.

But what about in Japanese?

Unfortunately, Japanese doesn’t just have one word for “hello” in fact, there are many ways to greet people in Japanese.

These differ depending on the time of the day, how formal the situation is, and how well you know the person you are talking to. Greetings can range from incredibly simple to more complex. But each one has a special significance for an array of different situations.

Greetings in Japanese

Here are eight different ways of saying “hello” in Japanese:

こんにちは (Konnichiwa)

こんにちは is the standard greeting in Japanese.

In fact, most people studying Japanese have heard it used as “hello” before. But this phrase is more closely linked to “good afternoon” than “hello.”

The root of the phrase actually has the word にち (nichi) which comes from the kanji 日 meaning “day.”

Because it is more closely linked to “good afternoon” than hello, you wouldn’t hear こんにちは very often with close friends or family members. It has a slightly more polite connotation and is most often used with strangers, or people that you don’t know very well.

If you have already learned the hiragana characters, you might notice that this phrase ends with は (ha) but it is pronounced わ (wa). That is because it is using the particle は.

For now, just remember that it is pronounced as “konnichiwa.”

おはようございます (Ohayou Gozaimasu)

おはようございます means “good morning.” This is obviously used early in the day, usually before noon.

It is a slightly formal expression, so it is typically used with strangers, coworkers, or people you don’t have a close relationship with.

Although it is almost always used in the morning, this phrase is also used when you see your coworkers when you come into work, as it is the first time you are seeing them for the day. So even if you work the night shift and start your job at 8PM, you can still say おはようございます to your boss and coworkers when you walk in the door.

If this seems like a mouthful, the best part is that with close friends and family, you don’t have to say the entire phrase.

It gets shortened to simply おはよう (ohayou) in casual situations.

こんばんは (Konbanwa)

We have covered greetings for the morning and afternoon, but what about in the evening? Once the sun goes down, or after around 5 or 6PM, the most common greeting is こんばんは.

In the same way that こんにちは (konnichiwa) came from the word “day,” こんばんは includes the word ばん (ban) which comes from the kanji 晩 meaning “evening” or “night.”

Another similarity between こんにちは and こんばんは is that they both use the particle は (wa) at the end, which is pronounced “wa.”

こんばんは can be used in any situation, no matter the formality, or person you are speaking to, but is generally a bit more polie of a greeting.

お元気ですか (Ogenki desu ka?)

Much like in English, in Japanese the phrase “how are you?” is often used as a greeting. お元気ですか doesn’t exactly translate well, but the sentiment is the same.

It comes from the word 元気 (genki) which can mean “lively,” “energetic,” or “vital.”

More literally, this phrase is asking someone if they are feeling upbeat and well in both mind and body. It is the easiest and most common way to ask how someone is doing.

As with many Japanese phrases, shortening it a little makes it less formal. In fact お元気ですか is quite a formal expression, one that you would use with your boss, or older strangers.

To make it more casual, first, we can take off the お (o) in the beginning to make 元気ですか (genki desu ka).

To make it even more casual, to use with friends and family, the ですか (desu ka) can also be removed, leaving us with just 元気？(genki?) Make sure to use a rising intonation to indicate this is a question if you are saying 元気 by itself!

初めまして (Hajimemashite)

Japanese has a special phrase for when you meet someone for the first time.

初めまして has its literal roots in the kanji 初 which means “start.” But it is most often translated as “nice to meet you.” This is standard when you are meeting anyone for the first time, as it is a polite expression.

TO introduce yourself properly, say 初めまして then your name and then the phrase よろしくお願いいたします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) which has quite a few meanings, but is generally used to show kindness.

Make sure to practice introducing yourself as it is one of the best first-steps you can take in learning Japanese!

お久しぶりですね (Ohisashiburi desu ne)

お久しぶりですね means “long time, no see” or “it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

This phrase is generally used when you haven’t seen someone in a few months, or even longer. Of course, there is no set time frame in which to use it, but if it feels like it's been a while since you saw someone last, feel free to give it a try!

Just like with お元気ですか (ogenki desu ka), we can remove the お (o) to make 久しぶりですね, which is a little more casual.

If we want to make it super casual, we can also remove the ですね (desu ne) to make 久しぶり, which is used with close friends and family.

The ending particle ね means “isn’t it?” and it is used when asking for confirmation.

So you can also keep this particle for casual situations, saying 久しぶりね! (hisashiburi ne!)

ただいま (I’m home!)

In Japan, there are set phrases that are used when you are leaving the house, and coming home.

When leaving the house, the exchange looks like this:

行ってきます (ittekimasu) “I’m leaving!”

行ってらっしゃい (itterasshai) “Have a good day!”

Then when someone returns home, it looks like this:

ただいま (tadaima) “I’m home!”

おかえり (okaeri) “Welcome back!”

So as for our greetings, we are focusing on the above ただいま. These are obviously used with close friends and family, but they can also be used in more formal settings as well. You can use this in the workplace if you have left somewhere and just returned.

もしもし (Moshi moshi)

Lastly, in Japanese there is a special greeting that is only used for phone calls.

That is, もしもし (moshi moshi) which comes from the kanji 申す (mousu) which means “to say.” This is a casual greeting, so don’t use it when you are at work, but only with your cell phone, or when talking to family and friends.

If you are at work, you would usually answer with はい (hai) meaning “yes” and the name of the company you work for.

There are so many set phrases to learn that will make talking on the phone in Japanese a breeze.

There are many ways to say hello in Japanese

As you can see, there are many ways to say “hello” in Japanese, but since each one is used in specific situations, or for certain formality levels, they are extremely easy to learn.

Keep practicing these phrases and you will quickly be on your way to greeting every person in your life, in Japanese!