Japanese Greetings People Actually Use

Polite and neutral, for neighbors, shop owners and people you don't know well. Between close friends it sounds distant, so friends rarely say it to each other.

For coworkers, teachers and neighbors until about 10 or 11 a.m. In restaurants, TV and other shift work, staff say it at the start of a shift at any hour.

For friends, family and classmates. Friends often clip it to おはよ, and in texts it stretches to おはよー.

Polite, after dark, for neighbors, hosts and people you don't know well. Between friends it sounds a little formal, so friends who meet at night rarely use it.

Said before bed or when you part late at night. Family and friends shorten it to おやすみ, which is also how a late-night text ends.

Classmates and friends from work say it as a hello in the afternoon or evening, and again as a goodbye. It is the casual form of お疲れさま, often stretched to おつかれー.

The normal hello for a friend you haven't seen in weeks or months. The polite form is お久しぶりです (o-hisashiburi desu).

Upbeat and playful, mostly among young people and in texts to close friends.

Not a daily greeting. People ask it after time apart or in letters and emails. In person after a long gap, people say お久しぶりです。お元気でしたか？ (o-hisashiburi desu. o-genki deshita ka?), long time no see, have you been well?

For a friend after time apart. The usual answer is うん、元気だよ (un, genki da yo), yeah, I'm good.

The everyday catch-up question between friends.

おかげさまで means thanks to you. It is the polite answer when an elder, a client or a host asks how you are.

An honest answer between friends.

Said once, at the very start of a first meeting, before your name.

Closes a self-introduction, after your name, at work and in daily life. With friends and people your own age in casual settings, よろしく (yoroshiku) on its own is enough. At a first meeting at work, keep the full form.

The standard greeting between coworkers in Japan. They say it in the hallway, at the start of internal calls and emails, and at the end of the day.

The standard first line of a business email or call to a client. It is a set phrase rather than a real thank-you.

Said when you leave work while others stay, and they answer お疲れさまです.

Said every day by the person leaving the house.

The answer to いってきます, and literally means go and come back.

Said as you walk in the door, to whoever is already home.

The answer to ただいま, and おかえりなさい (okaeri nasai) is the polite form.

For personal calls, or when the line is bad. Businesses answer with their company name instead.

Staff say it to customers. You don't need to answer; a small nod is enough.

The most common casual goodbye between friends.

For friends you will see again.

Common among friends, especially younger people, and with kids.

Add ね (ne) with friends: また明日ね.

Said when you leave an office or a meeting, and to end a call with anyone you speak politely to.

Textbook. Adults rarely say it to friends, since it can sound final, as if you won't meet again for a long time. Schoolchildren say it to their teacher at the end of the day.

Said to a friend heading home, especially at night. 気をつけて (ki o tsukete, take care) on its own works before any trip.

Said from January 1, the first time you see someone that year, followed by 今年もよろしくお願いします (kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegai shimasu). Friends shorten the wish to あけおめ (akeome).

The goodbye for the last time you see someone in December.