Hi, I'm Kuma.
Today, I explain "how to say Hi and Hello in Japanese.
Then, I tell you the expressions.
How to say Hello in Japanese?
I start to explain how to say hello in Japanese.
Actually, these are expressions to say “Hello” in Japanese, and it is changed by the time when we say hello.
For example, in the morning, we use Ohayou, and in the afternoon we use Konnichiwa. Moreover, in the evening we use Konbanwa.
I explain these difference with more detail information.
Hello in Japanese
- こんにちは
- こんばんは
- おはよう
- おっす、うっす、ちっす、よう
こんにちは（Konnichiha）
The first expression is Konnichiwa.
こんにちは（Konnichiha）is the same meaning of "Hello" and "Hi" in English.
You should use this word in the afternoon from about 0pm-5pm.
To tell the truth, it’s enough for you to memorize “こんにちは”. However, if you want to proceed to next level, you should also learn other expressions like "Ohayou" and "Konbanwa". This is because Japanese greeting is changed by the time.
おはよう/おはようございます（Ohayou/Ohayougozaimasu)
Next, I explain "Ohayou".
In the morning, you should use おはよう（Ohayou) or おはようございます（Ohayougozaimasu）.
おはようございます is polite expression of おはよう. When you talk with your friends, you should say "おはよう", which is more casual way. When you talk with people who are older than you, you shoud use "Ohayougozaimasu" . That's the difference.
Useful information
In Japan, there are some industries where people always use おはようございます. For example, in the restaurant business, they use always this.
こんばんは（Konbanwa）
In the evening and at night, you should use こんばんは（Konbanwa）.
Ban means "night" in Japanese and people use Konbanwa at night.
The origin of "こんばんは"
こん means This and ばん(ban) means night in Japanese. In the past, people said that "こんばんは〇〇ですね（This night is ○〇）when people saw like the example below.
Explanation
- こんばんはさむいですね（Konbanwa samui desune)：This night is cold
- そうですね（Soudesune）：I feel the same.
This phrase had gradually omitted and people use just "こんばんは", and it became the greeting that people use at night.
Casual expressions!
At last, I want to explain more casual expressions.
To tell the truth, there are several casual greeting which are used in Japan.
If you want to say hi to friends, these are more natural phrases.
おっす（Ossu）、うっす（Ussu）、ちっす（Chissu）、よう(Yo）
These three words are same meanining. These are similar to "hi" and "hey" and "yo"
I often use おっす（Ossu）. Do you know the reason?
I like Dragonball, and the main character "Son Goku" uses this phrase, and I imitate that.
If you like Dragonball, you should use this phrase too!!!
At last
That's it Thank you for reading this article! In this blog, I explain useful Japanese words. See you next time.
How to say "Goodbye" in Japanese｜native Japanese explains that!