How to Say Hello in Japanese
Quick answer
The most common way to say hello in Japanese is こんにちは (konnichiwa), used from late morning through the afternoon. Japanese greetings change with the time of day: おはようございます (ohayō gozaimasu) in the morning and こんばんは (konbanwa) in the evening. こんにちは is polite and safe in almost any daytime situation.
Essential Japanese Travel Phrases
The Japanese phrases travelers use most — greetings, getting around, ordering food, shopping, numbers, and emergencies — each with natural Japanese, romaji pronunciation, a usage example, and native-speaker audio.
59 cards with native audio. Read them all free on the deck page.
See every card in this deckPro
Study this deck with Pro
Every card with native-speaker audio and a built-in spaced-repetition study system, plus every other deck on the site.
That is $3.33 a month, billed yearly.
Secure checkout by Stripe. Yearly plan starts with a free trial; cancel anytime.
- Every language and subject, all decks
- Native audio on every card
- Spaced-repetition study with progress tracking
- iPhone app Premium included: unlimited own-phrase cards and custom subjects
- Cancel anytime from your account
Say hello by time of day
Unlike English, Japanese has a different greeting for morning, daytime, and evening. こんにちは covers most of the day.
| Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| こんにちは | konnichiwa | Hello / Good afternoon (daytime) | |
| おはようございます | ohayō gozaimasu | Good morning (polite) | |
| こんばんは | konbanwa | Good evening | |
| おやすみなさい | oyasuminasai | Good night (before bed) |
Meeting people and being polite
| Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| はじめまして | hajimemashite | Nice to meet you (first meeting) | |
| お元気ですか | o-genki desu ka | How are you? | |
| ありがとうございます | arigatō gozaimasu | Thank you (polite) | |
| すみません | sumimasen | Excuse me / Sorry |
Goodbyes
| Japanese | Pronunciation | Meaning | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| さようなら | sayōnara | Goodbye | |
| またね | mata ne | See you later (casual) |
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce Konnichiwa?
Say it as kon-nee-chee-wah, with even stress across the syllables. It is written こんにちは in hiragana and means hello or good afternoon.
Is Konnichiwa formal or informal?
こんにちは is neutral-polite and safe in almost any daytime situation — with strangers, shopkeepers, or new acquaintances. With close friends, people often use a casual やあ (yā) or just say each other's name.
How do you say good morning in Japanese?
おはようございます (ohayō gozaimasu) is the polite good morning. Among friends and family it shortens to おはよう (ohayō).
Why does the greeting change during the day?
Japanese uses time-specific greetings: おはよう in the morning, こんにちは during the day, and こんばんは in the evening — so the right one signals you know the natural rhythm of the language.
Does Konnichiwa mean hello on the phone?
No. When answering the phone, Japanese speakers say もしもし (moshi moshi) instead of こんにちは.
Keep learning Japanese
More free guides and decks to get you speaking.