The standard hello in Japanese is こんにちは (konnichiwa), used midday to afternoon. Use おはようございます (ohayō gozaimasu) in the morning, こんばんは (konbanwa) in the evening, and もしもし (moshi moshi) on the phone. To a group or in shops you’ll hear いらっしゃいませ (irasshaimase, “welcome”). Below are 15+ greetings for every situation, with romaji and English.
“こんにちは” is the first word almost everyone learns — and the giveaway of a beginner if it’s the only greeting you know. Japanese ties its greetings tightly to time of day and social distance, far more than English does. Learn a handful of these and you’ll sound natural and respectful from your very first exchange.
The Three Core Greetings (by Time of Day)
Japanese splits the day into three clear greeting windows. Get these right and you’re already covered for most situations.
| Japanese | Romaji | When | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| おはようございます | ohayō gozaimasu | Morning | Good morning (polite) |
| こんにちは | konnichiwa | Midday–afternoon | Hello / good afternoon |
| こんばんは | konbanwa | Evening | Good evening |
With friends, おはようございます shortens to just おはよう (ohayō). Note that こんにちは and こんばんは end in は, which is pronounced “wa” here because it’s the old topic particle — a detail that trips up beginners writing in kana.
Casual & Friendly Greetings
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|
| やあ | yā | Hey / hi (very casual) |
| どうも | dōmo | Hi / thanks (versatile, casual) |
| お元気ですか | o-genki desu ka | How are you? |
| 調子はどう？ | chōshi wa dō? | How’s it going? (casual) |
| お久しぶりです | o-hisashiburi desu | Long time no see |
A key culture note: お元気ですか is not a daily throwaway like “how are you?” in English. It implies you haven’t seen the person in a while, so don’t use it with someone you greet every day.
Situational Greetings
| Japanese | Romaji | English / when |
|---|---|---|
| もしもし | moshi moshi | Hello (answering the phone) |
| いらっしゃいませ | irasshaimase | Welcome (staff to customers) |
| はじめまして | hajimemashite | Nice to meet you (first time) |
| ただいま | tadaima | I’m home |
| おかえりなさい | okaeri nasai | Welcome home (reply to ただいま) |
| おやすみなさい | oyasumi nasai | Good night |
A First Meeting, Line by Line
はじめまして。田中です。どうぞよろしくお願いします。
hajimemashite. tanaka desu. dōzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
Nice to meet you. I’m Tanaka. I look forward to getting to know you.
This three-part opener — greeting, name, よろしくお願いします — is the standard way to begin any first meeting in Japan. Memorise it as one block and you’ll always have a confident opening.
Make Greetings Automatic
Greetings only help if they come out instantly, with the right reading and the right level of politeness. That’s where deliberate, contextual practice wins. In Kanjijo, each greeting is taught inside real example sentences with furigana so you read おはよう and こんにちは correctly, exclusive mnemonics anchor the tricky は-pronounced-wa detail, and SRS resurfaces each phrase right before you’d forget it. Listening practice tunes your ear to natural delivery, the OCR scanner lets you decode greetings on real signs and menus, and home and lock screen widgets surface a phrase during dead moments so こんにちは becomes a reflex, not a recall.
Greet Like a Native
Kanjijo locks in every Japanese greeting with example sentences, exclusive mnemonics, SRS, reading, listening, OCR scanning, widgets, and mock JLPT practice — from your first こんにちは to fluency.
Download Kanjijo FreeFrequently Asked Questions
No. こんにちは is for midday through afternoon. Use おはようございます in the morning and こんばんは in the evening.
It comes from an old phrase using the topic particle は (pronounced “wa”). The greeting kept the は spelling, so it’s written は but said “wa.”
Say もしもし (moshi moshi). It’s used almost exclusively for answering calls, not face to face.
いらっしゃいませ (irasshaimase), “welcome.” You don’t need to reply — a nod is fine.