Hello in Japanese: こんにちは (konnichiwa)
Hello in Japanese is こんにちは (konnichiwa, “hello”). It means "hello" or "good afternoon", and literally "as for today…". It's the greeting to use during the day with people you don't live or work with: a neighbour, a delivery driver, someone you pass on a walk, a teacher.
It's written with five hiragana: こ, ん, に, ち and は. Tap any of them to hear each sound and see how it's written.
Two things about it surprise learners:
- The last letter is は, but you say wa. こんにちは began as the opening of a longer greeting, 今日は… ("as for today…"), and the rest was dropped over time. That final は is a particle, a little word that marks what you're talking about, and as a particle は is always read wa.
- It has kanji, but almost nobody uses them. The dictionary gives 今日は as its written form and marks the word as usually written in kana. Written in kanji, it would look like 今日は (kyō wa, "as for today") in an ordinary sentence. Write the greeting in hiragana.
You'll also see こんにちわ online. The dictionary lists it as an irregular spelling: it's how the word sounds, not how it's written.
Hello by time of day: ohayō, konnichiwa, konbanwa
Japanese has a different hello for the morning and the evening. こんにちは covers the middle of the day.
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| おはよう | おはよう | ohayō | good morning | Morning, with friends and family |
| おはようございます | おはようございます | ohayō gozaimasu | good morning | Morning, polite: to teachers, colleagues, strangers |
| こんにちは | こんにちは | konnichiwa | hello; good day; good afternoon | Daytime, to most people |
| こんばんは | こんばんは | konbanwa | good evening | Evening, once it gets dark |
There are no fixed hours. As a rule of thumb, switch from おはようございます to こんにちは around mid-morning, and from こんにちは to こんばんは once it's dark outside.
おはよう is casual and おはようございます is polite. こんにちは and こんばんは are already polite, and there's no longer form of them.
When not to say こんにちは
こんにちは is a greeting for people outside your circle. With the people you live and work with, other words take its place:
- At home. Families don't greet each other with こんにちは. You say ただいま (tadaima, “I'm home!”) when you come home, and the family answers お帰り (おかえり, okaeri, “welcome home”), or more politely お帰りなさい (おかえりなさい, okaeri nasai).
- At work. The first greeting of the day is おはようございます, and many workplaces use it for the first meeting even in the afternoon. After that, colleagues greet each other with お疲れ様 (おつかれさま, otsukaresama, “thank you (for your hard work)”), usually as お疲れ様です. It thanks someone for their effort, and it works as a passing hello in the corridor.
- With close friends. こんにちは sounds formal between friends. A casual hi (below), or just their name, is more natural.
None of this makes こんにちは rude. Said to a friend, it just sounds more formal than you meant.
Casual ways to say hi
With friends and people your own age, Japanese speakers often skip the formal greeting:
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| よー | よー | yō | hey; yo; hi | Hey, yo: to friends |
| おっす | おっす | ossu | hi!; yo!; hey man! | Mostly used by men, among friends; rough, so never to a superior |
| どうも | どうも | dōmo | greetings; hello; goodbye | A quick, vague hi to people you half-know |
| ハロー | ハロー | harō | hello | The English word, said jokingly |
どうも is worth knowing well: on its own it's a quick hello, and it's also a short way to say thanks. To someone senior, say the full greeting instead: どうも alone can sound curt.
Hello on the phone: moshi moshi
When you answer the phone or check the line, you don't say こんにちは. You say もしもし (moshi moshi, “hello (e.g. on phone)”). It's for calls, not a greeting in person. Companies usually answer with their own name instead.
Hellos for special moments
Some situations have their own greeting:
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | Meaning | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| はじめまして | はじめまして | hajimemashite | nice to meet you; I'm glad to make your acquaintance; how do you do? | Meeting someone for the first time |
| お久しぶり | おひさしぶり | ohisashiburi | it's been a long time; long time no see | When you haven't seen someone for a long time; add です to be polite |
| 久しぶり | ひさしぶり | hisashiburi | it's been a long time; long time no see | The same, with friends |
| お邪魔します | おじゃまします | ojama shimasu | please excuse the intrusion; I'm coming in | As you step into someone's home |
| いらっしゃいませ | いらっしゃいませ | irasshaimase | welcome | What staff say when you walk into a shop |
いらっしゃいませ is said to you, by the staff. Most customers say nothing back, and that isn't rude: a nod is plenty.
When you say おじゃまします at someone's door, the host usually answers いらっしゃい (irasshai, “welcome”) or どうぞ (dōzo).
How to answer a hello
The simplest answer is the same greeting back. If someone says こんにちは, say こんにちは. If a colleague says おはようございます, answer おはようございます.
A few greetings have their own answer:
- ただいま is answered with おかえり (or おかえりなさい).
- はじめまして is answered with はじめまして, then your name, then よろしくお願いします (よろしくおねがいします, yoroshiku onegai shimasu, “please remember me”).
Japanese greetings usually come with a small bow or a nod of the head. Between friends, a nod is enough.
Practise the greetings
こんにちは, おはようございます, こんばんは and more, with their sound, in a two-minute quiz.
Questions about hello in Japanese
What does konnichiwa mean?
Konnichiwa (こんにちは) means "hello" or "good afternoon". Literally, it's the start of a longer greeting: "as for today…".
Is it konnichiwa or ohayo?
It depends on the time. Say おはようございます in the morning (おはよう with friends and family) and こんにちは for the rest of the day until it gets dark.
How do I greet someone in Japanese?
Pick the greeting by the time of day: おはようございます, こんにちは or こんばんは. Add a small bow or nod. With friends, a casual おはよう or よう is fine.
How do I respond to konnichiwa?
Say こんにちは back. You can add a small nod.
Does moshi moshi mean hello?
Only on the phone. もしもし is how you answer or start a call, not a greeting in person.
Is it rude to say konnichiwa?
No. It's polite and works with almost anyone. Between close friends it sounds formal, and families don't use it with each other.
How do you write hello in Japanese?
Hello is written こんにちは, in hiragana. The kanji form 今日は exists but is rarely used for the greeting.
Why is it spelled with は and not わ?
Because the word ends in the particle は, which is read wa. こんにちわ is a common misspelling.
Sources
- Readings and meanings: JMdict (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0), including its notes that こんにちは is usually written in kana, that こんにちわ is an irregular spelling, and that おっす is used by men.
- Where こんにちは comes from, and its use in the daytime: Japanese Wikipedia, こんにちは; Coto Academy, What is こんにちは in English?.
- Reviewed by two independent reviews; the points about workplace greetings, よう and どうも are waiting for a native speaker's check.