From the moment you step off the plane in Japan, you’ll be eager to try out your language skills and say “hello” in Japanese to the customs officer, the person sitting next to you on the train, or the waiter at the first restaurant you visit. Saying konnichiwa (こんにちは) for “hello” is the easiest option, but remember to keep Japanese social norms in mind, which may differ vastly from your home country.
We’ll help you figure out who you might say “hi” in Japanese to, and what word is appropriate (or if a bow would be better). Combine your knowledge of language and etiquette to greet people in Japan respectfully.
Table of Contents
Use konnichiwa to say ‘hello’ in Japanese most of the time
The word konnichiwa (kohn-nee-chee-wah) is the standard way to say “hello” in Japanese. Rosetta Stone’s TruAccent speech technology compares your voice to native speakers and gives immediate feedback, so you can feel confident saying konnichiwa from your first “hello.”
- Konnichiwa.（こんにちは。） = Hello. (Alternatively: Good afternoon.)
This is how you would see “hello” in Japanese language textbooks or phrasebooks, and it can mean “good afternoon.” Konnichiwa is usually written using hiragana. However, it can also be written with kanji characters: 今日は.
In Japan, konnichiwa is typically reserved for polite or neutral situations during the day. These are the typical scenarios where you’ll use konnichiwa in everyday conversations:
- with someone you know (which you might follow up with a phrase for “how are you” in Japanese)
- to greet people you were planning to meet (like a scheduled tour guide or a coworker)
- for saying “hello” to a stranger before asking a question, like a customer service employee at the train station (you could also use a word for “excuse me” in Japanese)
How to say ‘hello’ in Japanese changes throughout the day
Because konnichiwa is a daytime greeting, you’ll use other greetings for different times of day to say “hello.”
| Japanese | When To Use | English |
| ohayō gozaimasu （おはようございます） | in the morning (until about noon) for polite or formal situations | Good morning! |
| ohayō （おはよう) | in the morning (until about noon) for casual situations | ‘Morning! |
| konbanwa （こんばんは） | in the evening (after sunset) | Good evening! |
Bow politely instead of saying ‘hello’ in Japanese to strangers in passing
If you ever greet strangers in passing, it’s much more common in Japan to give a little bow than to say konnichiwa or any other way of saying “hello.” Small talk with strangers is uncommon in Japanese culture, so a silent bow (with an optional smile) can be just as welcoming as a greeting.
You don’t need to bow deeply, either. The guidelines around bowing in Japan are different depending on the situation, but a bob of the head and a slight bend at the waist is usually sufficient if you’re not initiating a conversation. This includes situations like:
- acknowledging staff at stores greeting you with irasshaimase (いらっしゃいませ), or “welcome”
- greeting people in public who you make eye contact with (if you feel it’s necessary to acknowledge them)
- passing by peers at school or at work (you should be more polite and say hello to superiors, however)
Use yā to say ‘hi’ in Japanese only in certain scenarios
To say “hi” in Japanese, you can use yā (やあ) as a gender neutral expression.
- Yā, Keiko chan!（やあ、恵子ちゃん！）= Hi, Keiko!
As a traveler in Japan, you won’t have many opportunities to say “hi” in Japanese. While casual speech is usually a sign of friendliness in places like the US, it can come off as rude and overly familiar in Japan. If you’re going to use a Japanese word for “hi,” it should be to greet:
- friends
- small children that you know
- pets that you know
- anyone that you use casual speech with
Other ways to say ‘hi’ in Japanese
While you only have a few options to say “hello” in Japanese, you can express yourself more with different ways of saying “hi” or “hey.”
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | English |
| やあ！ | yā | yah | Hi! |
| よお！ | yо̄ | yoh | Hey! |
| おす！ | osu | ohs | Hey!/’Sup? (masculine) |
| ヤッホー！ | yahhо̄ | yah-HOH | Hi! (feminine) |
| ハロー！ | harо̄ | hah-ROH | Hello! |
How to write “hi” in Japanese
You’ll almost always use either hiragana or katakana to write “hi” in Japanese. If it’s a loanword (like harо̄ or other ways to say “hello” in different languages), the default is to use katakana. You would normally use hiragana for native Japanese words. However, you can be creative and use hiragana to make a word seem softer or katakana to make a word seem edgier depending on what image you want to give.
- Osu, Yamada kun!（おす、山田君！）= Hey, Yamada! (masculine, but not rough)
- Osu, Yamada kun!（オス、山田君！）= Hey, Yamada! (masculine and a bit rough)
Deciding when to say ‘hi’ or ‘hello’ in Japanese
To help you decide whether it’s more appropriate to use a word for “hi” or “hello,” think about which Japanese honorifics you would use for the person you’re talking to. Use a word for “hello” for people you would assign these honorifics:
- -san (～さん): the equivalent of “Mr.” or “Ms.”
- -chō (～長): the suffix for managers at work, like kachō (課長) for section manager or buchō (部長) for department manager
- sensei (先生): for teachers or doctors
- senpai (先輩): for older classmates (or similar)
You can use “hi” for people you assign these honorifics:
- -kun (～くん): a friendly, masculine suffix
- -chan (～ちゃん): an affectionate, feminine suffix
Consider the difference between these greetings to get an idea of how this works:
- Yahhō, Tarō kun!（ヤッホー、たろうくん！）= Hi, Tarō!
- Konnichiwa, Takeda san!（こんにちは、武田さん！）= Hello, Ms. Takeda!
Moshi moshi is how to say ‘hello’ or ‘hi’ in Japanese on the phone
It’s common to say “Hello?” when you answer the phone in English, but in Japanese, you use a special greeting: moshi moshi (もしもし). This is a neutral way to say “hello” or “hi” that is neither formal nor casual, but you only use it when:
- answering the phone
- greeting the person you just called on the phone after they answer
- trying to grab the attention of a friend who isn’t paying attention (similar to how you might jokingly say “Knock knock, anyone home?” in English)
This is how the start of a phone call might go:
- Moshi moshi.（もしもし。） = Hello?
- Moshi moshi. Sumisu san desu ka.（もしもし。スミスさんですか。） = Hello. Is this Mr./Ms. Smith?
Moshi moshi comes from the verb mōsu (申す), which is the humble version of “to say.” The expression used to be mōsu mōsu when phone communication first started in Japan, with the intended meaning being “I am going to start speaking.” The confirmation from telephone operators was important when the sound quality over the phone was poor.
Regional versions of ‘hello’ in Japanese
You might also hear a few regional phrases depending on where you are in Japan. If you’re in a region where one of the many Japanese dialects is spoken, these words could be used instead of konnichiwa.
| Japanese | Romanization | Pronunciation | Region |
| まいど | maido | mah-ee-doh | Western Japan (particularly Osaka and Kyoto prefectures) |
| いあんばい | ianbai | ee-ahn-bah-ee | Fukuoka prefecture |
| こんちくわー | konchikuwā | kohn-chee-koo-wah | Shiga prefecture |
| こんちゃら | konchara | kohn-chah-rah | Kagoshima prefecture |
| ハイサイ | haisai | hah-ee-sah-ee | Okinawa prefecture and surrounding islands (used by men) |
| ハイタイ | haitai | hah-ee-tah-ee | Okinawa prefecture and surrounding islands (used by women) |
Frequently asked questions about saying ‘hello’ in Japanese
How you greet someone in Japanese makes a big impression. That’s why choosing an appropriate way to say “hi” or “hello” in Nihongo (日本語)—Japanese—is so important. Before you get some real-life Japanese conversation practice, clear up any confusion.
How do Japanese people say ‘hello’?
The standard way to say “hello” is konnichiwa (kohn-nee-chee-wah), but Japanese people use a greeting for the time of day: ohayō gozaimasu (oh-hah-YOH goh-zah-ee-mahs) for the morning, konnichiwa for daytime after noon, and konbanwa (kohn-bahn-wah) for the evening.
How do you greet someone in Japanese?
In addition to choosing an appropriate Japanese greeting for your situation (like “long time no see” or “good evening”), you should bow to greet someone. For casual situations, add a short bow at the waist or a bob of your head. For formal situations (like work meetings), give a deeper bow of about 45 degrees.
How do you say ‘hi’ in a cute way in Japanese?
Cute ways to say “hi” in Japanese include yahhō (yah-HOH), which has a similar vibe to “yoo-hoo!”, or harō (hah-ROH), which is borrowed from the English “hello.” Make sure you use these only for casual situations!
0 Commentaires