How To Say Hi In Japanese - Blueberry farm

How do Japanese people say hi?

3. Konnichiwa – こんにちは – Meaning: Hello Pronunciation: koh-nee-chee-wah About: This is probably the most common way to say hello in Japanese. Konnichiwa is used broadly throughout the day and is what you’ll usually see translated as simply “hello” as you learn Japanese.

Is Moshi Moshi formal?

What does moshi moshi mean? The short answer : Moshi moshi, or もしもし, is a common Japanese phrase that Japanese people use when picking up the phone. It’s a casual greeting used for friends and family, like a “hello”, but in fact means something entirely different! In English, it literally means something more like, “to say to say”, or “I speak I speak”.

How do you say hi in anime?

1. “Hello” in Japanese – If you ever watched at least one anime series, you probably already know this: “hello” in Japanese is Konnichiwa, Rings any bell? It most probably does since Konnichiwa is undeniably the most common Japanese greeting. Thanks to some of the most influential anime of all time such as Dragon Ball Z, Death Note, and Naruto, a lot of people living outside Japan know at least a few words in Japanese and Konnichiwa is definitely one of them.

But back in the day, when Japanese people met, they would address each other with konnichi wa gokiken ikaga desu ka? (“wow are you feeling today?”), konnichi wa ii hi desu ne (“today is a nice day”) or kon’nichi wa ikaga desu ka (“how is today?”). Over time, these expressions became shorter and shorter until they ultimately transformed to the Konnichiwa we all use today to greet each other in Japanese.

Also keep in mind that it’s usually only used during the day time, between morning and evening. When it comes to using it in various social contexts, you should know that Konnichiwa can be used safely in all kinds of situations (only between morning and evening; never early in the morning or late at night) except for those involving very close friends.

ossu – used exclusively between male friends and relatives around the same age. It’s similar to “hey dude” or “hey man” in English yaho – extremely informal, typically used by girls (boys more often say yo ) but suitable for all the young people

“Kyoto, Japan” by Sorasak© If you have to write “hello” in Japanese, there are two ways to do it (three if you also count in Romaji – the romanization of the Japanese writing system): -using Kanji symbols: 今日は – using Hiragana symbols: こんにちは Curious about why there are multiple types of characters in Japanese? Here’s everything there is to know about the Japanese writing system,

How should I greet a Japanese?

In Japan, people greet each other by bowing. A bow can ranges from a small nod of the head to a deep bend at the waist. A deeper, longer bow indicates respect and conversely a small nod with the head is casual and informal. If the greeting takes place on tatami floor, people get on their knees to bow.

Bowing is also used to thank, apologize, make a request or ask someone a favor.
Bowing with your palms together at chest level, as done in Thailand, is not customary in Japan.
Most Japanese do not expect foreigners to know proper bowing rules, and a nod of the head is usually sufficient.
Shaking hands is uncommon, but exceptions are made, especially in international business situations.

At formal meetings, business cards are exchanged during the introductions. At shops and restaurants, customers are typically welcomed by the staff with the greeting “irasshaimase”. No response from the customer is required, and a smile and a nod with the head would suffice for those who want to reciprocate the greeting.

Why do Japanese say Hai?

“Hai” meaning YES, is also used in reply. – Basically, “Hai” is used to make a decision in response to a question, but many Japanese people naturally use this word in “conversational reply” (2). In such cases, “Hai” does not include the meaning of “YES,” but is more like a simple “I’m listening to what you have to say.

Even in situations where the content has not yet been clearly presented, there is a habit of using the word “Hai”.
If you are in a position to look the other person in the eye and listen to what he or she has to say without speaking, for example, you may be perceived as not being “polite” in Japan.
When the other person speaks (especially if he or she is speaking to a superior), use “Hai” instead of “Iie” to indicate that you are listening.

What is hi in Tokyo?

Download Article Download Article The Japanese language and culture focus on respect and formality. How you greet people depends, to a large extent, on who you’re greeting and the context in which you’re greeting them. However, in most situations, konnichiwa is appropriate.

1 Use konnichiwa (こんにちは) to greet most people in most settings. Konnichiwa (koh-nee-chee-wah) is the most common way to say “hello” in Japanese, and is considered an all-purpose greeting. You can use it during the day when greeting anyone, regardless of their social status.
- Konnichiwa comes from the word “today” in the phrase “How are you today?” For this reason, it isn’t appropriate to use later in the evening, after the sun goes down. You also won’t hear Japanese people say it very often early in the morning.
Pronunciation Tip: In Japanese, syllables aren’t stressed as they are in many other languages. Instead, Japanese syllables are differentiated by the pitch of your voice. The same word said with different pitches can take on different meanings, so listen to Japanese people say any word you want to learn and mimic their tones exactly.
2 Greet people with ohayō gozaimasu (おはよう　ございます) in the morning. ohayō gozaimasu (oh-hah-yoh goh-zah-ee-muhss-oo) means “good morning” in Japanese and is the standard greeting that replaces konnichiwa in the early morning hours, typically before 10:00 a.m.
- This greeting is appropriate both when you’re approaching someone and when you’re departing their company (as a form of “goodbye”), but watch the time of day. If it’s approaching afternoon, you should probably use sayonara (sah-yoh-nah-rah) instead.
Advertisement
3 Switch to konbanwa (こんばんは) in the evening. Konbanwa (kohn-bahn-wah) means “good evening” in Japanese and is appropriate to use when you’re greeting anyone in the late afternoon or evening hours after the sun goes down. This greeting is used both when you’re meeting someone and when you’re departing.
- As you’re taking your leave, you can also use oyasumi nasai (おやすみなさい) to say “goodbye” at night. This phrase is not typically used as a greeting, only when you’re leaving. Pronounce it oh-yah-soo-mee nah-sigh.
Culture Tip: Because of the formality of Japanese culture, morning and evening are more carefully demarcated from the day than in Western culture. While you would say “hello” in English to anyone at any time of the day, you should never say konnichiwa in the morning or evening.
4 Follow up your greeting by asking o genki desu ka (お元気ですか). O genki desu ka (oh gehn-kee dehss kah) is a polite, formal way to say “how are you?” It can also be a great way to get a conversation started with someone you just met.
- This phrase allows you to connect with the person you’re speaking to and is considered respectful, especially if they’re someone who is older than you or in a position of authority.
- If the other person asks you this question, reply with o kagesama de genki desu, which means “thank you, I’m fine.”
5 Answer the phone with moshi moshi (もしもし). While in English you use the same greeting on the phone that you would in person, Japanese has a different greeting that is exclusively for use on the phone. You say moshi moshi (moh-shee moh-shee) whether you are the caller or the person being called.
- Never use moshi moshi to greet someone in person. You’ll get a strange look from the person you’re greeting.
Pronunciation Tip: Many Japanese speakers will say this greeting so quickly that it sounds more like “mohsh mohsh,” with the last syllable being virtually silent.

1 Use an abbreviated version of konnichiwa around people you know. When you’re speaking more rapidly, especially around people you know, it’s acceptable not to fully pronounce all the syllables of konnichiwa, The word instead comes out sounding something like “konchiwa.”
- You will hear this abbreviated version particularly in urban areas, such as in Tokyo, where Japanese is typically spoken much more rapidly.
2 Shorten your greetings among friends and family members. All of the standard Japanese greetings become shortened when you’re talking to people your own age or younger, or people you know well. Some shortened greetings include:
- Ohayō, instead of ohayō gozaimasu, for “good morning”
- Genki desuka, instead of o genki desu ka, for “how are you”
- Oyasumi, instead of oyasumi nasai, for “goodnight” (as you’re leaving)
3 Say ossu if you are male and greeting close male friends. Ossu (ohss) is an informal greeting, similar to saying “hey man” or “hey dude” in English. It is used exclusively between male friends and relatives who are around the same age.
- Ossu is rarely used between female friends, or between friends of different genders.
4 Greet friends with yaho if you are a young person. Yaho (yah-hoh) is an extremely informal greeting, typically used by girls to greet other girlfriends. Even if you are older, you can still use this greeting among friends if you feel young and hip.
- Boys and young men more often say yo (yoh) than yaho,
Culture Tip: Some Japanese people, and some regions generally, are more formal than others. When in doubt, wait to use slang until the other person has used it first.

1 Accompany your greeting with a bow. Japanese speakers typically bow while saying the word they’re using as a greeting as a sign of respect to the person they’re greeting. This means you would bow while saying the word konnichiwa – not afterwards.
- While the Japanese bow can be compared to a handshake in Western culture, typically, in Western culture, you would say “hello” first, then extend your hand for a handshake. This is a key difference in Japanese body language while greeting.
2 Bend from the waist with a straight back and your arms by your side. Bowing with just your shoulders or your head is seen as rude if you’re bowing to someone you don’t know, an elder, or an authority figure. Keep your arms straight with the backs of your hands facing the person you’re bowing to.
- When you bow, move at the same pace you normally would. Lean forward, and then raise back up moving at approximately the same speed. Think in terms of how quickly you’d shake someone’s hand.
- Always keep your eyes forward in the direction of your eyes. Try to look to the ground a middle-distance in front of you, or at the feet of the person you’re bowing to.
3 Return any bow you receive. If you make the initial greeting, typically you’ll bow first. The other person will then bow as they greet you. However, if the other person greets you and bows first, you are expected to bow in response.
- A single bow is typically sufficient. If you bow, and then the other person bows in response, there’s no need to bow again.
Culture Tip: Try to bow slightly lower than the person you’re bowing to, particularly if they are a stranger, if they’re older than you, or if they’re in a position of authority.
4 Vary the angle of your bow to indicate the level of respect. Japanese culture is hierarchical. How deep you bow indicates the level of formality and social respect for the person to whom you’re bowing. In most situations, a 15-degree bow is appropriate.
- A formal bow of 30 degrees is appropriate if you’re greeting someone who is much older than you or has authority over you, such as a boss or a teacher.
- There are also even deeper bows, up to 45 degrees, but these would generally be reserved for when you meet someone of extremely high rank in society, such as the prime minister or emperor of Japan.
5 Bow to each member of a group individually. If you are greeting a group of people, it is customary to greet each one of them individually. This means you will also repeat the ritual of the bow with each person.
- If this seems odd to you, think about what you would do if you were being introduced to a group of business associates in a more formal business setting. You typically would shake hands with each of them as you were told their names. This custom is no different.
6 Nod your head instead of bowing to close friends your age. When you’re greeting close friends, especially if you are younger, there doesn’t tend to be as much formality. However, the custom of the bow persists in a respectful nod of the head as you’re greeting the person.
- If you’re greeting a friend and they are accompanied by someone you don’t know, return to a full bow when you greet that person. To simply nod to them would be considered disrespectful.
- When in doubt, follow the lead of the other person, especially if you are visiting in Japan. If they nod to you, then you can assume they won’t consider it rude if you nod back.

Add New Question

Question What does “hai” mean in English? This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow Staff Editor Staff Answer
Question How do you say “please” in Japanese? This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow Staff Editor Staff Answer
Question Why must you bow? Do I have to respect everyone? What if I’m saying hello to someone I don’t like? DeRpYPeeWee Community Answer You still have to bow. It’s Japanese tradition. When I meet eyes with someone, I usually bow even if they’re a stranger. It has nothing to do with whether you like someone or not.

See more answers Ask a Question 200 characters left Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Submit Advertisement Article Summary X If you want to say “Hello” in Japanese, you can say “konnichiwa,” which is an appropriate greeting in most settings.

However, if you’re answering the phone or calling someone, always say “moshi moshi” instead. Never use “moshi moshi” to greet someone in person, though! If you’re a young person and you want to say “Hello” to a close friend, you can just say “Yaho.” This is an extremely informal greeting that’s often used by young girls to greet each other.

To learn how to bow when you say “Hello” in Japanese, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 2,053,418 times.

What does Ara Ara mean?

Kanji: 粗粗 – Ara Ara is a Japanese expression, a word you say when you are moved or surprised (A term that repeats the interjection “Ara” twice) and means oh dear or oh my in English, depending on the situation. I’m sure you’ve seen scenes where women use “Ara Ara” in anime, but it’s also used in real life.

・あらあら、こんなに泥んこになって Ara ara、konnani doronkoni natte
Oh dear you got so muddy.

Ara Ara is often used in conversation when you are moved or surprised like this, but you can also express it in kanji as “粗粗.” However, the meaning of “粗粗” in kanji is entirely different. It means “to omit the details, roughly,”

・あらあら説明する Araara setsumei suru。
I will roughly explain you.

What is yes in anime?

Hai is the simple, direct word for ‘yes’ and is commonly used in Japanese speech.

What does ohayo means?

Look up Ohayo, ohayō, or おはよう in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Ohayo ( おはよう, ohayō ) is a colloquial term meaning good morning in Japanese. Ohayo may also refer to:

Good Morning (1959 film), 1959 Japanese comedy film by director Yasujirō Ozu Ohayo Mountain, Catskill Mountains, New York, US A misspelling of Ohio, a U.S. state

Is konichiwa too formal?

#1 こんにちは ( konnichiwa ) – “Hello” in Japanese – “Hello” in Japanese is likely an expression you’ve heard in the past, even if you haven’t ever studied the language before. But this isn’t the expression you’d use with close friends or family. While it can be used in both formal and informal situations, you’re more likely to hear it used between strangers or in more formal situations. ‍

Do Japanese call it anime?

Etymology – As a type of, anime is an art form that comprises many found in other mediums; it is sometimes mistakenly classified as a genre itself. In Japanese, the term anime is used to refer to all animated works, regardless of style or origin. English-language dictionaries typically define anime ( ) as “a style of Japanese animation” or as “a style of animation originating in Japan”.

Other definitions are based on origin, making production in Japan a requisite for a work to be considered “anime”.
The etymology of the term anime is disputed.
The English word “animation” is written in Japanese as アニメーション ( animēshon ) and as アニメ ( anime, pronounced ( ) ) in its shortened form.
Some sources claim that the term is derived from the French term for animation dessin animé (“cartoon”, literally ‘animated drawing’), but others believe this to be a myth derived from the popularity of anime in France in the late 1970s and 1980s.

In English, anime —when used as a common —normally functions as a, (For example: “Do you watch anime?” or “How much anime have you collected?”) As with a few other Japanese words, such as and, English texts sometimes spell anime as animé (as in French), with an over the final e, to cue the reader to pronounce the letter, not to leave it silent as English orthography may suggest.

Can you say ohayo at night?

Use ‘Ohayou’ from waking to about 12:00, ‘Konnichiwa’ until dusk, ‘Konbanwa’ throughout the evening, and ‘Oyasumi’ only before bed or sleeping.

Does Arigato mean thank you?

Arigatou on its own is a simple, somewhat casual ‘thank you.’ That said, most people prefer doumo arigatou or arigatou gozaimasu as their standard way of saying thanks, because both of those phrases are more polite than arigatou on its own.

How do you say sorry in Japanese?

Gomen Nasai or Gomen (ごめんなさい, ごめん) – I’m Sorry This is perhaps one of the most common ways you can say ‘sorry’ in Japanese. You can use ‘gomen nasai’ or ‘gomen’ in most instances, as it’s a polite way to say sorry, but it’s a casual and barebones expression.

What is Sumimasen?

SUMIMASEN, a versatile word > > > Anna, if you want to get someone’s attention in Japanese, just say SUMIMASEN, What? I thought SUMIMASEN means “I’m sorry.” Japanese people use SUMIMASEN all the time. They can’t get through the day without it. SUMIMASEN has many different meanings: “I’m sorry”, “thank you” and to get someone’s attention. It might be confusing at first, but once you’ve used it for a while, it’ll become second nature.

When Japanese people say SUMIMASEN, they often bow in appreciation or apology.The angle reflects the depth of the emotion.Bowing deeply by bending at the waist expresses a strong feeling.

SUMIMASEN works in all kinds of situations. It can be used to apologize, to show appreciation or to get someone’s attention. If you want to learn more:

Why do Japanese say Moshi Moshi?

When telephones began to be used in Japan, telephone operators were at work. When those who made calls wanted to make sure if their voices were reaching the operators, they said MÔSU, MÔSU. This is said to be the origin of MOSHIMOSHI.

Is there a Japanese word for no?

The Japanese Word for ‘No’ It is the most straightforward, blunt way of doing it, while the casual way of saying ‘no’ is いや (iya). In common parlance, most people say いえ (ie) rather than いいえ (iie) due to the awkward pause that the extra い (i) syllable adds.

Is ohayo polite?

The second way to say good morning in Japanese is ohayō gozaimasu おはようございます. This is a more formal version. Gozaimasu is a common suffix in Japanese used to indicate a high degree of politeness and respect.

Is it konnichiwa?

Ａ： Some people write ‘こんにちわ’: although the pronunciation is「わ」, the correct way of writing it is ‘こんにちは’. Of course, there is a reason for this. Nowadays, we only use ‘こんにちは’ as a greeting to salute someone, but originally there used to be words after that.

What is hi kitty in Japanese?

Hello Kitty (Japanese: ハロー・キティ, Hepburn: Harō Kiti), also known by her real name Kitty White (キティ・ホワイト, Kiti Howaito), is a fictional character created by Yuko Shimizu, currently designed by Yuko Yamaguchi, and owned by the Japanese company Sanrio.

Is konichiwa too formal?

Does ohayo mean hello?

Look up Ohayo, ohayō, or おはよう in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Ohayo ( おはよう, ohayō ) is a colloquial term meaning good morning in Japanese. Ohayo may also refer to:

Good Morning (1959 film), 1959 Japanese comedy film by director Yasujirō Ozu Ohayo Mountain, Catskill Mountains, New York, US A misspelling of Ohio, a U.S. state

Is it Konichiwa or Konnichiwa?

What does こんにちは (Konnichiwa) mean in Japanese? – Konnichiwa 「こんにちは」 is one of the first words you learn in Japanese. Often times, on social media posts, you may see it spelled as 「こんにちわ」. However, as you may have learned in your studies, the correct spelling is actually 「こんにちは」.

こんにちは」is usually written in hiragana, but if you write it in kanji, it’s「今日は」, which can also be read as 「きょうは〜, kyo wa〜」, This directly translates to “today is ~ “. Originally, people often greeted each other with 「今日は天気が良いですね、kyou wa tenki ga ii desune- Today, the weather is nice.」or「今日は暑いですね、kyou wa atsui desune- Today, it is hot.」.

Over time, people began to shorten their greetings by cutting off the latter portions, eventually resulting in 「こんにちは, konnichiwa」.

What is Sayo Nara?

The word sayonara means ‘goodbye’ or ‘farewell.’ When you are seeing your friend off at the airport, you can wave and say, ‘Sayonara!’