Japanese - Greetings

Lesson 1 of 168

Two people greeting each other in Japanese at different times of day, showing おはようございます and こんばんは.

Goal: Everyday openings for polite and casual chat

Free Japanese lessons with guided practice, audio, and speaking support.

Welcome to Lesson 1! Yak Yacker lessons work in three friendly steps: listen to the phrases, practice with quick quizzes, then speak them out loud. This first lesson shows you common greetings you can use right away.

You'll get short examples, a tiny conversation, and simple practice — all easy and friendly. Let's start with the basics and have a little fun saying hi in Japanese!

Level A1: In this lesson you'll learn and practice core greetings for different times of day (おはようございます (Ohayō gozaimasu), こんにちは (Konnichiwa), こんばんは (Konbanwa)), casual openings (やあ (Yā)) and simple intro phrases like お名前は何ですか (Onamae wa nan desu ka). This lesson is CEFR-aligned and focuses on hearing, repeating, and using these phrases in short conversations.

After this lesson you'll be able to:

  • Recognize and say basic greetings for morning, afternoon, and evening.
  • Use polite questions like お名前は何ですか (Onamae wa nan desu ka) and 今、少しお時間ありますか (Ima, sukoshi ojikan arimasu ka).
  • Respond simply (e.g. 元気です。ありがとうございます。) and introduce yourself with ___です。
A friendly teacher pointing at speech bubbles with common Japanese greetings like こんにちは and やあ.

Ready? Let's go!

When you tap play on phrases, we track your progress through this lesson.

1. Reading + Listening Practice

Hear core phrases, repeat aloud.

こんにちは

Konnichiwa.

Hello.

Meaning: Hello.

When to use: A neutral daytime greeting used widely; polite without being overly formal.

こんにちは、田中さん。

Konnichiwa, Tanaka-san.

Hello, Mr./Ms. Tanaka.
こんにちは。今日はいい天気ですね。

Konnichiwa. Kyō wa ii tenki desu ne.

Hello. Nice weather today, isn't it?

やあ

Yā.

Hi.

Meaning: Hi.

When to use: A casual, friendly greeting for friends or people you know well.

やあ、久しぶり！

Yā, hisashiburi!

Hi — long time no see!
やあ、元気

Yā, genki?

Hey, how are you?

おはようございます。

Ohayō gozaimasu.

Good morning.

Meaning: Good morning.

When to use: A polite morning greeting; use おはよう in very casual settings.

おはようございます。今日もよろしくお願いします。

Ohayō gozaimasu. Kyō mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Good morning. I look forward to working with you today.
おはようございます。よく眠れましたか？

Ohayō gozaimasu. Yoku nemuremashita ka?

Good morning. Did you sleep well?

こんにちは

Konnichiwa.

Good afternoon.

Meaning: Good afternoon.

When to use: Used from around noon until early evening as a standard daytime greeting.

こんにちは、午後のミーティングに来ました。

Konnichiwa, gogo no mītingu ni kimashita.

Good afternoon, I came to the afternoon meeting.
こんにちは。昼ごはんはもう食べましたか？

Konnichiwa. Hirugohan wa mō tabemashita ka?

Good afternoon. Have you eaten lunch yet?

こんばんは

Konbanwa.

Good evening.

Meaning: Good evening.

When to use: A neutral evening greeting used after sunset or in the evening.

Tip: Beginners sometimes pronounce the final は as 'ha' — say 'wa' for こんばんは (Konbanwa).

こんばんは。今日は遅くなりましたね。

Konbanwa. Kyō wa osoku narimashita ne.

Good evening. It's late today, isn't it?
こんばんは、今夜はいい映画を見ました。

Konbanwa, kon'ya wa ii eiga o mimashita.

Good evening, I saw a good movie tonight.

お元気ですか

Ogenki desu ka.

How are you?

Meaning: How are you?

When to use: A polite way to ask how someone is; natural when you haven’t seen someone for a while.

お久しぶりです。お元気ですか？

Ohisashiburi desu. Ogenki desu ka?

Long time no see. How are you?
最近はどうですか？お元気ですか？

Saikin wa dō desu ka? Ogenki desu ka?

How have things been lately? Are you well?

元気です。ありがとうございます。

Genki desu. Arigatō gozaimasu.

I'm good, thanks.

Meaning: I'm good, thanks.

When to use: A polite and positive reply to お元気ですか。 Shorter casual replies are common too.

元気です。ありがとうございます。あなたは？

Genki desu. Arigatō gozaimasu. Anata wa?

I'm good, thank you. And you?
ええ、元気です。ありがとうございます。

Ee, genki desu. Arigatō gozaimasu.

Yes, I'm well. Thank you.

___です

___ desu.

I'm ___.

Meaning: I'm ___.

When to use: Fill the blank with your name to introduce yourself politely, e.g. 田中です (Tanaka desu).

Tip: Beginners sometimes forget です after the name. Say 『田中です。』 not just 『田中。』 for polite speech.

田中です。よろしくお願いします。

Tanaka desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

I'm Tanaka. Nice to meet you.
私はエミです。はじめまして。

Watashi wa Emi desu. Hajimemashite.

I'm Emi. Nice to meet you.

お名前は何ですか。

Onamae wa nan desu ka.

What's your name?

Meaning: What's your name?

When to use: A polite way to ask someone's name; also use お名前を聞いてもいいですか for extra politeness.

すみません、お名前は何ですか？

Sumimasen, onamae wa nan desu ka?

Excuse me, what's your name?
初めまして。お名前は何ですか？

Hajimemashite. Onamae wa nan desu ka?

Nice to meet you. What is your name?

私も入っていいですか。

Watashi mo haitte ii desu ka.

Can I join you?

Meaning: Can I join you?

When to use: Ask this when you'd like to enter a conversation or group politely.

あの、私も入っていいですか？

Ano, watashi mo haitte ii desu ka?

Um, can I join you?
グループに近づいて：私も入っていいですか？

Gurūpu ni chikadzuite: Watashi mo haitte ii desu ka?

Approaching a group: Can I join you?

やあ

Yā.

Hey.

Meaning: Hey.

When to use: Casual greeting; friendly and slightly informal—use こんにちは in polite situations.

やあ、元気だった？

Yā, genki datta?

Hey, have you been well?
やあ、ちょっと手伝ってくれる？

Yā, chotto tetsudatte kureru?

Hey, can you help me a bit?

___さんですか。

___-san desu ka.

Are you ___?

Meaning: Are you ___?

When to use: Ask if you are speaking to the correct person; put the name before さん (e.g. 田中さんですか？).

田中さんですか？

Tanaka-san desu ka?

Are you Mr./Ms. Tanaka?
アヤさんですか？はい、そうです。

Aya-san desu ka? Hai, sō desu.

Are you Aya? Yes, that's right.

今、少しお時間ありますか。

Ima, sukoshi ojikan arimasu ka.

Do you have a minute?

Meaning: Do you have a minute?

When to use: A polite way to ask for a short interaction; casual form is 今、ちょっといい？

すみません、今、少しお時間ありますか？

Sumimasen, ima, sukoshi ojikan arimasu ka?

Excuse me, do you have a minute?
今、少しお時間ありますか？短い質問です。

Ima, sukoshi ojikan arimasu ka? Mijikai shitsumon desu.

Do you have a minute? It's a short question.

2. Conversational Listening Practice

Hear phrases in a real mini-conversation.

Anna meets David in the evening and asks to join the conversation.

Anna and David talking outside in the evening, using phrases such as こんばんは and 私も入っていいですか to join the conversation.

What does Anna ask permission to do?

Portrait of Anna in a Japanese lesson dialogue

Anna

やあ。今、少しお時間ありますか？

Yā. Ima, sukoshi ojikan arimasu ka?

Hi. Do you have a minute?

Portrait of David in a Japanese lesson dialogue

David

こんばんは。はい、大丈夫です。

Konbanwa. Hai, daijōbu desu.

Good evening. Yes, that's fine.

Portrait of Anna in a Japanese lesson dialogue

Anna

私も入っていいですか？

Watashi mo haitte ii desu ka?

Can I join you?

Portrait of David in a Japanese lesson dialogue

David

はい、どうぞ。お名前は何ですか？

Hai, dōzo. Onamae wa nan desu ka?

Yes, please. What is your name?

Portrait of Anna in a Japanese lesson dialogue

Anna

私はアンナです。よろしくお願いします。

Watashi wa Anna desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

I'm Anna. Nice to meet you.

3. Guided Practice

Quizzes and matching to lock in meaning.

Which phrase means 'Good morning'?

Which is a polite way to ask 'What's your name?'

Which phrase is a casual 'Hi'?

Which greeting is used in the evening?

Good morning, I'm glad to meet you.

朝、同僚に会って言う：___、お会いできてうれしいです。

Excuse me, what's your name?

初対面で丁寧に聞く：すみません、________？

Can I join you?

近くのグループに入るときに言う：________。

Match the core phrases

Match the extra phrases

4. Speaking Practice

Say phrases yourself (mic/recording).

Recording stays on your device only. Check speech uses your browser's speech tools when available.

Say this phrase out loud:

こんにちは

Konnichiwa.

Good afternoon.

Say this phrase out loud:

やあ

Yā.

Hey.

Say this phrase out loud:

おはようございます。

Ohayō gozaimasu.

Good morning.

Say this phrase out loud:

こんにちは

Konnichiwa.

Good afternoon.

Say this phrase out loud:

こんばんは

Konbanwa.

Good evening.

Say this phrase out loud:

お元気ですか

Ogenki desu ka.

How are you?

Say this phrase out loud:

元気です。ありがとうございます。

Genki desu. Arigatō gozaimasu.

I'm good, thanks.

Say this phrase out loud:

___です

___ desu.

I'm ___.

Say this phrase out loud:

お名前は何ですか。

Onamae wa nan desu ka.

What's your name?

Say this phrase out loud:

私も入っていいですか。

Watashi mo haitte ii desu ka.

Can I join you?

Say this phrase out loud:

やあ

Yā.

Hey.

Say this phrase out loud:

___さんですか。

___-san desu ka.

Are you ___?

Say this phrase out loud:

今、少しお時間ありますか。

Ima, sukoshi ojikan arimasu ka.

Do you have a minute?