How to Say Hello in Japanese — こんにちは and 12 More Greetings
こんにちは is hello in Japanese — but not at 8am. Which greeting fits which hour, how to answer the phone, and why さようなら is rarer than textbooks suggest.
The three time-of-day greetings
Japanese has no single all-day hello the way English does. Instead there are three greetings split by the clock, and using the wrong one is immediately noticeable: こんにちは at 7am reads as odd, not merely formal.
| Japanese | Reading | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| おはようございます | ohayou gozaimasu | Morning — the casual form is おはよう (ohayou) |
| こんにちは | konnichiwa | Late morning until dusk (roughly 11am-6pm) |
| こんばんは | konbanwa | After dark, through the evening |
| もしもし | moshi moshi | Only when answering the phone |
A spelling trap: こんにちは and こんばんは end in the character は, but it is pronounced wa. They began life as sentence fragments where は was the topic particle, and the spelling stuck. This is the single most common misspelling beginners make.
At work, the clock rule bends
In many workplaces — broadcasting, restaurants, and service jobs especially — おはようございます is used as the first greeting of your shift even if that shift starts at 4pm. The greeting marks the start of your working day rather than the time on the clock.
The other workplace staple is お疲れ様です (otsukaresama desu): literally acknowledging the other person's effort. It works passing someone in the hall, as the opening line of an email, and as a goodbye at the end of the day. Its cousin ご苦労様 (gokurousama) sounds condescending when aimed upward, so keep that one for people below you or avoid it entirely.
Goodbyes: さようなら is heavier than you think
さようなら is the first goodbye most textbooks teach, and the one native speakers use least. It carries a sense of parting for a long time — possibly for good — so saying it to a friend you will see tomorrow lands strangely. School children saying goodbye to a teacher is one of the few everyday contexts where it fits.
| Japanese | Reading | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| じゃあまた | jaa mata | "See you" — the everyday default |
| またね | mata ne | Casual, between friends |
| 失礼します | shitsurei shimasu | Leaving before others — polite and workplace-safe |
| お先に失礼します | osaki ni shitsurei shimasu | "Excuse me for leaving first" — office standard |
| さようなら | sayounara | A long or final parting — rare in daily life |
The greetings that come in pairs
Several Japanese greetings come as call-and-response pairs: one person says a fixed line and the other answers with its partner. Coming and going from home is the classic case, and learning the pairs makes a lot of anime and drama dialogue click into place.
| One person says | The other answers | Situation |
|---|---|---|
| いってきます (ittekimasu) | いってらっしゃい (itterasshai) | Leaving home — "I'm off" / "Go and come back" |
| ただいま (tadaima) | おかえりなさい (okaerinasai) | Arriving home — "I'm back" / "Welcome home" |
| いただきます (itadakimasu) | どうぞ (douzo) | Before eating — "I gratefully receive" / "Please, go ahead" |
| ごちそうさまでした (gochisousama deshita) | おそまつさまでした (osomatsusama deshita) | After eating — the host answers with modest deflection |
Check yourself
Your shift starts at 4pm. Which greeting is natural as you arrive?
8 more Japanese greetings by situation
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning and situation |
|---|---|---|
| はじめまして | hajimemashite | "Nice to meet you" — the opening line at a first meeting |
| よろしくお願いします | yoroshiku onegaishimasu | "Please treat me favorably" — closes an introduction |
| お久しぶりです | ohisashiburi desu | "Long time no see" |
| お元気ですか | ogenki desu ka | "How have you been?" — not for people you see daily |
| いらっしゃいませ | irasshaimase | "Welcome" — said by staff to customers, not answered |
| おやすみなさい | oyasuminasai | "Good night" — casual form おやすみ |
| お疲れ様です | otsukaresama desu | "Thanks for your work" — the workplace all-purpose greeting |
| 久しぶり | hisashiburi | "Long time" — the casual version between friends |
Match the hour and you will rarely go wrong. And when you freeze anyway, お疲れ様です at work and すみません everywhere else will carry most moments for you.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say hello in Japanese?
It depends on the hour. Use おはようございます (ohayou gozaimasu) in the morning, こんにちは (konnichiwa) from late morning to dusk, and こんばんは (konbanwa) in the evening. Japanese has no single all-day equivalent of "hello".
Why don't Japanese people say さようなら?
It implies a parting of some length, possibly permanent, so it feels off with someone you will see tomorrow. Everyday goodbyes are じゃあまた (jaa mata) or またね (mata ne), and at work お先に失礼します (osaki ni shitsurei shimasu).
Why is こんにちは spelled with は but pronounced wa?
Both greetings are frozen fragments of longer sentences that began with the topic particle は, so the original spelling stayed even though the particle is pronounced wa. The same applies to こんばんは.
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