Four Most Common Japanese Greetings, Their Meanings, & When to Use

Many people know the word “Konnichiwa,” when they think of Japanese greetings. Unlike in the West, where we can say Hello anytime of the day to greet people, the Japanese have different customary greetings for each time of day that you should know. It’s also important to realize the importance of greetings in general. Whenever you arrive at a destination to see people, leave people, go home, leave home, go to work, leave work, go to school, leave school, greetings are always exchanged. If I leave work without saying goodbye to everyone, or arrive at home without saying a greeting, it isn’t considered rude at all. In Japan, this is disrespectful, so it’s important to remember. Without further ado, here are the four most common greetings!

Good Morning: Ohayou - おはよう

“Ohayou” is a casual way of saying Good Morning to your family and friends in the morning time. If you are speaking to your boss, in-laws, Senpai, or any other formal situation, you will need to add “Gozaimasu” (you don’t pronounce the u at the end so it’s “go-zai-mas”), to make the phrase “Ohayou Gozaimasu.” It’s also important to note that it doesn’t necessarily need to be morning time to use this greeting. For example, if you start your shift at work at 9 o’clock at night, when you get there, you will still say “Ohayou Gozaimasu” because it is the start of you and your co-workers day together. Anytime you arrive at work, it is highly important that you say “おはようございます” to greet each of your coworkers. As I discussed in the intro, if you walk into your home, leave your home, walk into work, leave your work and people are there you must say a greeting!

Hello: Konnichiwa - こんにちは

In the middle of the day, you will use “Konnichiwa” to greet people. If you are meeting with a friend for tea, when you arrive say “こんにちは.” If you pass a friend while walking your dog, say “こんにちは” to greet him or her. If it is a bit later in the day, but not yet night, you might switch it to “Good Evening” or “Konbanwa.” Neither Konbanwa nor Konnichiwa are considered formal or informal, but rather a standard fare greeting like “Hello” in English. However, you would not say either when greeting someone over the phone. Instead you would say…

Hello (on phone): Moshi Moshi - もしもし

Moshi Moshi! So kawaii sounding >.< This is the greeting you would use when saying Hello on a phone call. “もしもし、こちらは ケアラです” – “Hello, This is Kayla.” Moshi Moshi can also be used when calling out to someone, the kind of situation like “Excuse me miss - You forgot your purse!”

Good Night: Oyasuminasai - おやすみなさい

Lastly we have good night. It’s important to say good night to everyone just as it is to say good morning. When going to bed, you will tell everyone in the house that’s still awake “Oyasuminasai” (oh-yah-sue-mean-nah-sai). This is the polite version of Good Night. To say Good Night casually you will say “Oyasumi.” Nasai, like gozaimasu is added to some words to make them the polite form or Keigo. It’s important to know Keigo phrases in order to work in Japan.


Thank you for reading! I hope this little guide helped you. Of course there are many ways to greet in Japanese, these are just the most common. Their are short, slang, casual greetings too. If you'd like to learn those let me know and I will write a post on that next! Please subscribe by typing in your email at the top right corner and you will always know when a new post comes out. 

Arigato Gozaimasu <3