Greetings
Greetings in Japanese are situation-specific and reflect social relationships. Unlike English where "hello" works anytime, Japanese has distinct greetings for different times of day, contexts, and relationships.
English: "Hello" (all-purpose)
Japanese: Multiple greetings
Time-specific
Context-dependent
Relationship-aware
Choose appropriately
Time-Based Greetings
Morning greeting
おはよう
"Good morning" (casual)
おはようございます
"Good morning" (polite)
Use: Until about 10-11 AM
Common: Everywhere
First greeting of day
Casual with friends/family
Polite at work/strangers
Daytime greeting
こんにちは
"Good afternoon / Hello"
Use: From ~11 AM to sunset
Common: General greeting
Less formal than おはよう
One politeness level
Works broadly
Evening greeting
こんばんは
"Good evening"
Use: After sunset (~6 PM onward)
Common: Evening encounters
Formal enough for any setting
Not for close friends
More polite than casual
Night farewell (not greeting)
おやすみ
"Good night" (casual)
おやすみなさい
"Good night" (polite)
Use: When going to bed
Not: For evening meetings
Specifically for sleeping
Farewell, not greeting
Workplace Greetings
Arriving at work
おはようございます
"Good morning"
Use: Regardless of actual time
Common: Work culture
Shows respect
Said to everyone
Even at night shifts
Work-specific custom
During work
お疲れ様です
"Thank you for your hard work"
Use: Passing colleagues
Common: Throughout day
Multipurpose greeting
Shows acknowledgment
Workplace standard
Not outside work
Leaving work
お疲れ様でした
"Thank you for your work today"
お先に失礼します
"Excuse me for leaving first"
Use: When departing
Response: お疲れ様でした
Common courtesy
Respectful departure
Daily ritual
Meeting Someone
First meeting
初めまして
"Nice to meet you (for the first time)"
はじめまして、[name]です
"Nice to meet you, I'm [name]"
よろしくお願いします
"Please treat me kindly / Look forward to working with you"
Formal introduction
Shows respect
Standard sequence
Subsequent meetings
お久しぶりです
"Long time no see" (polite)
久しぶり
"Long time no see" (casual)
また会えて嬉しいです
"I'm happy to see you again"
Acknowledging gap
Friendly reconnection
Meeting expectations
お会いできて光栄です
"It's an honor to meet you"
お会いできて嬉しいです
"I'm happy to meet you"
Use: Important people
Use: Genuine happiness
Shows appreciation
More emotional
Personal connection
Returning Home
Coming home
ただいま
"I'm home"
Use: Entering your home
Response: おかえり/おかえりなさい
Family ritual
Casual announcement
Expected phrase
Cultural practice
Welcoming home
おかえり
"Welcome home" (casual)
おかえりなさい
"Welcome home" (polite)
Response: ただいま
Use: To family members
Warm greeting
Shows care
Daily exchange
Visiting Someone
Entering someone's home
お邪魔します
"Excuse me for disturbing"
Use: Entering someone's home
Literal: "I will be a bother"
Shows humility
Standard phrase
Cultural politeness
Always say this
Leaving someone's home
お邪魔しました
"Thank you for having me / Sorry for the intrusion"
Use: Departing from home
Past tense of entering phrase
Gratitude expressed
Polite closure
Shows appreciation
Phone Greetings
Answering phone
もしもし
"Hello" (phone only)
はい、[name]です
"Yes, this is [name]"
Business: お電話ありがとうございます
"Thank you for calling"
Phone-specific
Never in person
Cultural norm
Making a call
もしもし
"Hello"
[name]ですが
"This is [name], but..."
お忙しいところすみません
"Sorry to bother you when you're busy"
Polite opening
Identifies self
Shows consideration
Casual Greetings
Among friends
やあ / やっほー
"Hey / Hi"
よう
"Yo"
おっす
"Sup"
元気？
"How are you?"
Very casual
Young people
Friends only
Slang greetings
ちーす
"Hey" (from こんにちは)
おは
"Morning" (from おはよう)
Use: Very casual
Friends/peers only
Not appropriate formally
Shortened forms
Youth language
Bowing and Greetings
Physical greeting
Slight bow: Casual greeting
Medium bow: Standard greeting
Deep bow: Formal/respectful greeting
Bow while saying greeting
Eye contact varies
Depth shows respect
Physical component
Cultural expectation
Special Occasion Greetings
New Year
あけましておめでとうございます
"Happy New Year"
今年もよろしくお願いします
"Please treat me well this year too"
Use: First days of January
Very important
Specific to New Year
Major cultural event
Seasonal greetings
暑中お見舞い申し上げます
"Mid-summer greetings"
寒中お見舞い申し上げます
"Mid-winter greetings"
Written greetings
Formal cards
Seasonal awareness
Traditional practice
Customer Service Greetings
Store staff to customers
いらっしゃいませ
"Welcome"
Use: Customer entering
No response expected
Standard retail
Automatic greeting
Shows hospitality
Servers and staff
いらっしゃいませ
"Welcome"
お待たせいたしました
"Thank you for waiting"
May I help you?
Standard service phrases
Professional greeting
Regional Variations
Kansai region
まいど
"Hello / Thanks" (business)
Use: Osaka area
Merchants especially
Local flavor
Regional identity
Friendly tone
Other variations
Standard: こんにちは
Casual male: よう
Casual female: やっほー
Regional accents
Gender patterns
Style differences
Greeting Combinations
Common sequences
おはようございます。今日もいい天気ですね。
"Good morning. Nice weather today too."
こんにちは。お元気ですか。
"Hello. How are you?"
Greeting + small talk
Natural flow
Social lubrication
Online and Digital
Text/chat greetings
おつ
"Good work" (shortened)
よろ
"Please" (shortened)
w (笑)
"Lol"
Modern communication
Very casual
Internet culture
Email openings
お世話になっております
"Thank you for your continued support"
Use: Business emails
Standard opening
Shows relationship
Professional norm
Not personal emails
Formal Situations
Business meetings
本日はお時間をいただき、ありがとうございます
"Thank you for your time today"
お忙しいところ恐れ入ります
"I'm sorry to take your time when you're busy"
Respectful language
Shows gratitude
Professional setting
Keigo required
Standard phrases
School Greetings
Teachers and students
Student arriving: おはようございます、先生
"Good morning, teacher"
Teacher: おはよう
"Good morning"
Class beginning: お願いします
Class ending: ありがとうございました
Educational setting
Respectful hierarchy
Daily routine
Neighborhood Greetings
Passing neighbors
おはようございます
"Good morning"
行ってきます
"I'm heading out"
行ってらっしゃい
"Take care / Have a good one"
Community connection
Daily interaction
Social fabric
When NOT to Greet
Situations to avoid
Don't greet:
- Every time passing same person
- In quiet places (libraries)
- When someone is clearly busy
- On trains (strangers)
Read the situation
Context matters
Response Expectations
When response needed
おはようございます → おはようございます
こんにちは → こんにちは
お疲れ様です → お疲れ様です
Mirror the greeting
Same politeness level
Acknowledge properly
When no response
いらっしゃいませ → (no response)
"Welcome" at stores
No response needed
Staff to customer
One-way greeting
Politeness Levels
Choosing the right level
Family/close friends: Casual forms
Colleagues: Polite forms
Customers/superiors: Very polite forms
Context determines choice
Relationship matters
When in doubt, more polite
Common Mistakes
Errors to avoid
❌ こんにちは in morning
✓ おはようございます
❌ おやすみ as evening greeting
✓ こんばんは
❌ Greeting every time you pass someone
✓ Once per day is enough
Learn proper usage
Avoid awkwardness
Natural Flow
Real conversation
A: おはようございます
B: あ、おはようございます。今日は寒いですね
A: 本当に。気をつけてくださいね
B: はい、ありがとうございます
Greeting + small talk
Natural progression
Building rapport