Learning greetings is one of the most important first steps in studying Japanese. Greetings are used not only to say hello and goodbye, but also to show respect, establish social relationships, and mark time of day. In Japanese culture, proper greetings reflect politeness and awareness of social roles, so learning them early is essential.
Unlike in English, Japanese greetings vary significantly based on the time of day, social context, and level of formality. For example, you would greet your teacher differently than a friend, and you wouldn't use the same phrase to say hello in the morning as you would in the evening. Let's go over some of the most common greetings you'll use and hear daily.
| Japanese | Romaji | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| こんにちは | konnichiwa | Hello / Good afternoon | General daytime greeting |
| おはよう | ohayou | Good morning (casual) | Use with friends or family |
| おはようございます | ohayou gozaimasu | Good morning (formal) | Use in school or workplace |
| こんばんは | konbanwa | Good evening | Used in the evening |
| さようなら | sayounara | Goodbye | Formal farewell |
| じゃあね | jaa ne | See you (casual) | Among friends |
| またね | mata ne | See you later | informal, friendly |
The fun part about these greetings is that they can standalone and do not need to be a part of a longer sentence. For example, you can simply say おはよう (ohayou) to greet someone in the morning, or さようなら (sayounara) when parting ways. This makes them easy to remember and use in daily conversations.