You may already know how to say “good morning” in Japanese, but what about “good night” in Japanese? When you first start to learn Japanese, it’s smart to prioritize knowing a variety of greetings for all times of day. That way, you can make a good impression no matter what time it is!
Table of Contents
11 ways to say ‘good night’ in Japanese
The options you have to wish someone “good night” in Japanese are some of the easier Japanese greetings. Unless you want to get creative, you’ll only need to remember one: oyasumi nasai (おやすみなさい).
Oyasumi nasai (good night)
The most common way to say “good night” in Japanese is oyasumi nasai. It’s formed from the verb for “to rest” (yasumu, 休む) and the Japanese verb conjugation meant for polite directions (-nasai, ～なさい). In other words, “get rest.”
- Mō osoi desu ne. Oyasumi nasai.（もう遅いですね。おやすみなさい。）= It’s already so late. Good night.
Oyasumi (g’night)
Among friends and family, you don’t need the full expression. Instead, a simple oyasumi (おやすみ) will do!
- Ja, oyasumi!（じゃ、おやすみ！）= Well, g’night!
Asa ni mata aimashou (see you in the morning)
If you’re going to see someone the next day, you can bid farewell for the night by saying asa ni mata aimashō (朝にまた会いましょう), or “see you in the morning.” The word aimashō is the polite Japanese volitional form conjugation of the verb “to meet” (au, 会う).
For a slightly more casual expression, you can swap the polite conjugation for the plain conjugation: aō (会おう). The meaning is the same.
- Asa ni mata aimashō!（朝にまた会いましょう！）= See you in the morning! (polite)
- Asa ni mata aō!（朝にまた会おう！）= See you in the morning! (casual)
Soro soro neru jikan da (it’s about time to go to sleep)
It’s about that time—time for bed! Try using soro soro neru jikan da (そろそろ寝る時間だ) to let people know you’re logging off for the night (do you know how to type hiragana?), but that you might not be going to sleep right away.
- Soro soro neru jikan da.（そろそろ寝る時間だ。）= It’s about time to go to sleep.
Similarly, you can change up the phrase just a little bit to one that’s suitable for a parent to tell their child.
- Soro soro ofuton ni hairu ne.（そろそろお布団に入るね。）= It’s about time to get in bed.
Ii yume o (sweet dreams)
To say “sweet dreams,” you can use ii yume o (いい夢を), which literally means “good dreams.” This expression drops the verb entirely, but the implied verb is “to see” (miru, 見る). If you wanted to make the expression longer, you could change it up to “see good dreams,” or ii yume o mite ne.
- Ii yume o, miki chan. （いい夢を、みきちゃん。）= Sweet dreams, Miki.
- Aya chan mo ii yume o mite ne.（あやちゃんもいい夢を見てね。）= Hope you see sweet dreams, too, Aya.
Yume no naka de aimashō (let’s meet in our dreams)
For your sweetheart, you can go a step further than wishing them sweet dreams. Instead, you can promise to meet them there! Like “see you in the morning,” you can swap the polite conjugation of aimashō for the more casual aō without changing the meaning.
- Oyasumi! Yume no naka de aimashō.（おやすみ！夢の中で会いましょう。）= G’night! Let’s meet in our dreams. (polite verb form)
- Oyasumi! Yume no naka de aō.（おやすみ！夢の中で会おう。）= G’night! Let’s meet in our dreams. (casual verb form)
Guddo naito (good night)
While not as common as the similar Japanese loanwords harō (ハロー, hello) and guddo mōningu (グッドモーニング, good morning), you can have some linguistic fun by telling someone to have a good night in Japanese with guddo naito (グッドナイト, good night).
- Guddo naito, minna!（グッドナイト、みんな！）= Good night, everyone!
How do I say ‘goodnight’ in Japanese?
For almost every situation, you can use oyasumi nasai to say “good night” in Japanese. If you’re ever not sure if it’s appropriate, it’s perfectly acceptable to choose a polite way to say “goodbye” instead. For example, if you’re parting ways with a superior (such as your boss) late at night for any reason, it’s better to choose a situationally appropriate way to say “goodbye” in Japanese rather than “good night.”
0 Commentaires