Language/Japanese/Vocabulary/Greetings

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Welcome to this lesson on Japanese greetings! In Japan, exchanging greetings is an important aspect of daily life and culture. The way you greet someone can convey respect, politeness, and a sense of friendliness.

In this lesson, we'll cover three categories of Japanese greetings. First, we'll look at how to say hello and indicate the moment of the day, which is a common way of greeting in Japan. Then, we'll explore greetings that are not influenced by the time of day, which are often used in more formal or professional settings. Lastly, we'll examine greetings that are used to wish something to someone, such as good luck or congratulations.

Let's get started! 🎌

After mastering Japanese greetings, you might be interested in expanding your vocabulary even further. Feel free to explore other related pages, such as Japanese love expressions, Japanese words for the four seasons, and Japanese film and theater terminology. Happy learning!

Main Greeting & Useful Phrases in Japanese

Hiragana	Katakana	Kanji	Romanization	English Translation
こんにちは	コンニチハ	今日は	Kon'nichiwa	Hello/Good afternoon
おはようございます	オハヨウ ゴザイマス	お早うございます	Ohayou gozaimasu	Good morning
こんばんは	コンバンハ	今晩は	Konbanwa	Good evening
ただいま	タダイマ	只今	Tadaima	I'm home
おかえりなさい	オカエリナサイ	お帰りなさい	Okaeri nasai	Welcome home
いってきます	イッテキマス	行って来ます	Ittekimasu	I'm off
いってらっしゃい	イッテラッシャイ	行ってらっしゃい	Itterasshai	Have a safe trip
お元気ですか	オゲンキデスカ	お元気ですか	Ogenki desu ka	How are you?
お疲れ様です	オツカレサマデス	お疲れ様です	Otsukaresama desu	Thank you for your hard work
ごめんなさい	ゴメンナサイ	御免なさい	Gomen nasai	I'm sorry
ありがとう	アリガトウ	ありがとう	Arigatou	Thank you
どういたしまして	ドウイタシマシテ	どういたしまして	Dou itashimashite	You're welcome
お願いします	オネガイシマス	お願いします	Onegaishimasu	Please
はじめまして	ハジメマシテ	初めまして	Hajimemashite	Nice to meet you
よろしくお願いします	ヨロシクオネガイシマス	よろしくお願いします	Yoroshiku onegaishimasu	Nice to meet you/Please take care of me
ごめんください	ゴメンクダサイ	御免ください	Gomen kudasai	Excuse me
すみません	スミマセン	済みません	Sumimasen	Excuse me/I'm sorry
おっす！	オッス！	-	Ossu!	Hey! (informal)
おやすみなさい	オヤスミナサイ	お休みなさい	Oyasumi nasai	Good night
じゃあね	ジャアネ	じゃあね	Jaa ne	See you later/Goodbye
またね	マタネ	またね	Mata ne	See you later/Goodbye
おつかれさまでした	オツカレサマデシタ	お疲れ様でした	Otsukaresama deshita	Thank you for your hard work (at the end of the day)
いただきます	イタダキマス	頂きます	Itadakimasu	Thank you for the food (before eating)
ごちそうさまでした	ゴチソウサマデシタ	ご馳走様でした	Gochisousama deshita	Thank you for the meal (after eating)
お大事に	オダイジニ	お大事に	Odaijini	Get well soon
ごめんなさい	ゴメンナサイ	御免なさい	Gomen nasai	I'm sorry
はい	ハイ	-	Hai	Yes
いいえ	イイエ	-	Iie	No
もう一度言ってください	モウイチドイッテクダサイ	もう一度言ってください	Mou ichido itte kudasai	Could you please say that again?
わかりました	ワカリマシタ	分かりました	Wakarimashita	I understand
どうもありがとう	ドウモアリガトウ	どうもありがとう	Doumo arigatou	Thank you very much
そうですか	ソウデスカ	-	Sou desu ka	Is that so?/I see
すみません、聞こえませんでした	スミマセン、キコエマセンデシタ	済みません、聞こえませんでした	Sumimasen, kikoenakatta deshita	I'm sorry, I didn't hear you
すみません、見えませんでした	スミマセン、ミエマセンデシタ	済みません、見えませんでした	Sumimasen, mienakatta deshita	I'm sorry, I didn't see it
お祝い申し上げます	オイワイモウシアゲマス	お祝い申し上げます	Oiwai moushiagemasu	Congratulations
ご結婚おめでとうございます	ゴケッコンオメデトウゴザイマス	ご結婚おめでとうございます	Go-kon omedetou gozaimasu	Congratulations on your marriage
お誕生日おめでとうございます	オタンジョウビオメデトウゴザイマス	お誕生日おめでとうございます	Otanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu	Happy Birthday
おめでとうございます	オメデトウゴザイマス	おめでとうございます	Omedetou gozaimasu	Congratulations/Well done
お疲れさまでした	オツカレサマデシタ	お疲れ様でした	Otsukaresama deshita	Thank you for your hard work
ありがとうごさいました	アリガトウゴザイマシタ	ありがとうございました	Arigatou gozaimashita	Thank you very much (formal)
どういたしまして	ドウイタシマシテ	どういたしまして	Dou itashimashite	You're welcome
すばらしい	スバラシイ	素晴らしい	Subarashii	Wonderful
きれい	キレイ	綺麗	Kirei	Beautiful
かわいい	カワイイ	可愛い	Kawaii	Cute
かっこいい	カッコイイ	格好いい	Kakkoii	Cool
すごい	スゴイ	-	Sugoi	Amazing
うまい	ウマイ	美味い	Umami	Delicious
たのしい	タノシイ	楽しい	Tanoshii	Fun
げんき	ゲンキ	元気	Genki	Good health
しあわせ	シアワセ	幸せ	Shiawase	Happiness
おいしい	オイシイ	美味しい	Oishii	Tasty
すがすがしい	スガスガシイ	-	Sugasugashii	Refreshing
ゆっくりしていってね	ユックリシテイッテネ	ゆっくりしていってね	Yukkuri shite itte ne	Take it easy
ようこそ	ヨウコソ	-	Youkoso	Welcome
いらっしゃいませ	イラッシャイマセ	-	Irasshaimase	Welcome (to a store or restaurant)
どうも	ドウモ	-	Doumo	Thanks/Excuse me (informal)
おおきに	オオキニ	-	Ookini	Thank you (Osaka dialect)
よし、行こう	ヨシ、イコウ	-	Yoshi, ikou	Alright, let's go (informal)

TO SAY HELLO AND INDICATE THE MOMENT OF THE DAY

Japanese cut the day in three parts and each has a manner to say.

おはようございます

御早うございます。

Ohayougozaimasu

This expression is made by

御 (お)	o	honorific prefix
早く	hayaku	early
ございます	gozaimasu	polite suffix

The change of 早く is a ウ音便 ("u" sound shift).

This is used the morning, to say hello, from 5 A.M to 12 A.M

Then, from 12 A.M use :

• こんにちは (konnichiwa) : commonly written with hiragana. The form in kanji 今日は is more employed to say “today ...”, and pronounced as “きょうは”.

At night, from about 6 PM you can say:

• こんばんは (konbanwa)

As for こんばんは, there is a form in kanji 今晩は for “tonight ...”, but contrary to こんにちは, it reads こんばんは. Take a look to the kanji.

• 今 : This kanji read alone is いま (ima). It means “now".

• 日 : This one is にち (nichi). The meaning of this is “day”
• 晩 : The last is ばん (ban). The kanji for “evening/night”.

• お休みなさい おやすみなさい oyasuminasai: Have a good night.

お honorific prefix

• 休み やすみ : holiday / resting
• 為さい なさい : a verbal form of saying "to do"

• おひさしぶり お久し振り ohisashiburi: Long time no see.

• 久さしい ひさしい hisashii: indicate a long period of time.
• 振り ふり furi is a time mark.

In fact, this expression is really turning around a time reference!!

GREETING WITHOUT TIME INFLUENCE

• さよなら sayonara: Simply means bye.
• バイバイ Bai-Bai Bye-Bye: The english-like form.
• またね matane: mata means « again », ne is a particle to sustain your idea. So, we can say it is : See you again.

When you welcome someone who is not from the place you are, you should use

• ようこそ youkoso.: It means WELCOME! For example if your friends is coming from another country to yours (Japanese friend to France)

• フランスへようこそ。furansu e yokoso.

へ reads “e” as location particle.

GREETING TO WISH SOMETHING TO SOMEONE

• 宜しくお願いします よろしくおねがいします yoroshiku onegaishimasu。: Pleased to meet you.

• 宜しく よろしく yoroshiku : Best regards
• お願い おねがい onegai: A useful sentence to express a wish
• します shimasu: Polite and affirmative form of the verb
• する suru: TO DO, commonly used.

• ヤッホー Yahoo/オオイ Ooi: HEY! Particularly employed by teenagers.

• 元気ですか げんきですか Genki desu ka : How are you doing?

• 元 げん gen: origin
• 気 き ki: spirit
• です desu: (to be)
• か ka: particle for question.

• 頑張って がんばって ganbatte : It is a greeting to give some force, some courage to someone. The way to persevere.

• 頑 がん gan approximately means to extend
• 張 ば ba could be translate as hustle
• って tte : This is a kind of imperative form.

It comes from the verb 頑張る がんばる ganbaru.

• おめでとう(ございます) Omedetou(gozaimasu): Congratulations!
• ありとう(ございます) Arigatou(gozaimasu): Thank you(very much)

In Japan, we use some expressions that have no equal in french and probably not in any other else language in the world.

• お疲れ様 おつかれさま otsukaresama: It is employed when people ends a hard working day. It means something like : thank you for doing your best at work.

• 疲れる つかれる tsukareru: the verb to express the sensation of tiredness.

• 様 さま sama: An honorific suffix

The Japanese use honorific prefixes and suffixes according to the social status, the age and the gender very often.

• 只今 ただいま tadaima Litt. “I’m home”. You will use this one, when you open the door and there is someone inside.
• お帰りなさいおかえり(なさい) okaeri(nasai) This one works with the previous. The people inside will answer Okaeri to Tadaima.
• 帰 is the kanji of the verb 帰る かえる kaeru which indicated that you are coming back.
• 行ってらっしゃい いってらっしゃい itterasshai: "Have a good day", particulary when you are going to move (for example to work) and somebody support you.
• 行って いって itte is the imperative form of the verb 行く いく iku: TO GO
• らっしゃい rasshai : Is a mark of moving comes from honorific language.

• 気を付けて きをつけて Ki o tsukete: Take care of you (When you are going somewhere). This includes that you have to move
• 付ける つける Tsukeru in its て form which really includes the notion of concern/care by the people who say it.

So, if you are going to work and your wife / husband is going staying at home, he/she can say :

• 行ってらっしゃい、気を付けて。お仕事頑張って下さい。 Itterasshai, ki wo tsukete. Oshigoto ganbatte kudasai.

TWO MORE WORDS

ございます gozaimasu and ください kudasai. As you can read before some words or sentence use ございます gozaimasu, like:

• おはようございます Ohayougozaimasu,
• ありとうございます Arigatougozaimasu,
• おめでとうございます Omedetougowazaimasu.

ございます gozaimasu simply means “There is” when it’s combined with a greeting.

You can also consider it means “to exist”.

For example “ありとうございます”; “it exist some thanks”. It is not very correct translation but it is the idea.

Some other are built with ください kudasai.

ください kudasai is a form of the verb くださる kudasaru which means “to confer”.

Authors

BriceJ

Other Lessons

• Weather
• Family
• The Shapes
• Colors 色
• Nature
• Metals
• How to Write a Good CV
• Drinks

• Transport

Table of Contents - Japanese Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Hiragana Basics

• Hiragana Reading and Writing Practice
• Introduction to Japanese Sentence Structure
• Particle は and が
• Verb Conjugation
• Noun and Adjective Modification
• Question Words and Phrases

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Greetings
• Introducing Yourself and Others
• Describing People
• Counting Numbers and Time
• Basic Food and Drink Terminology
• Daily Activities and Hobbies
• Basic Directions and Transportation

  ---

Geography and History

• Introduction to Japanese Geography
• Brief History of Japan
• Traditional Arts and Customs
• Popular Culture and Entertainment

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Conjugation
• Adjective Types and Usage
• Adverb Types and Usage
• Comparison and Superlative
• Adjective and Adverbial Modification

  ---

Family and Social Relations

• Family Members and Titles
• Social Etiquette and Expressions
• Basic Workplace and Business Terminology
• Shopping and Consumer Culture

  ---

Religion and Philosophy

• Shinto and Buddhism
• Zen and Samurai Culture
• Contemporary Spiritual Movements

  ---

Particles and Conjunctions

• Particles に and で
• Particles へ and を
• Particles も and しか
• Conjunctions and Compound Sentences
• Conditional and Hypothetical Sentences

  ---

Travel and Tourism

• Basic Travel and Tourism Vocabulary
• Famous Tourist Attractions and Landmarks
• Japanese Hospitality and Service Culture

  ---

Education and Science

• Educational System and Vocabulary
• Traditional and Modern Science and Technology
• Natural Disasters and Risk Prevention

  ---

Prepositions and Interjections

• Prepositions and Postpositions
• Emphasis and Intensification
• Exclamation and Impression Expressions

  ---

Arts and Media

• Film and Theater Terminology
• Music and Dance Terminology
• Art and Literature Terminology

  ---

Politics and Society

• Basic Political Vocabulary
• Social Issues and Controversies
• Japanese Business and Work Culture

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Next Lesson — Introducing Yourself and Others ▶️