Ways To Say Hello In Japanese
Japanese Greetings: 挨拶（あいさつ, aisatsu）
50 real-life greetings for friends, coworkers, first meetings, shops, and phone calls—without sounding like a textbook that just discovered daylight.
The first time I tried to use こんにちは（konnichiwa） first thing in the morning, nobody gasped, but the vibe quietly said, “close enough, champ.” Japanese “hello” is not one magic word. It changes with the clock, the setting, and whether you are greeting your friend, your boss, or the ramen-shop hero who already knows you will order the same thing again.
That is actually good news. Once you learn the patterns, Japanese greetings feel less random and much more human. This guide gives you the versions people really use: polite, casual, work-safe, phone-only, reunion-friendly, and a few slangy options you should definitely not toss at your professor unless chaos is your hobby.
The Rule That Makes This Easy
- Time matters: morning, daytime, and evening greetings are different.
- Distance matters: the phrase you use with a close friend is often too casual for a teacher or client.
- Situation matters: phone calls, offices, stores, and first meetings all have their own default “hello.”
A few entries below are not literal dictionary translations of “hello.” They are the opening phrases native speakers actually use in that situation, which is honestly more useful than memorizing one shiny word and using it everywhere.
Start With These Eight
こんにちは
Konnichiwa
Hello / good afternoon
おはようございます
Ohayō gozaimasu
Good morning (polite)
こんばんは
Konbanwa
Good evening
はじめまして
Hajimemashite
Nice to meet you
お久しぶりです
Ohisashiburi desu
Long time no see (polite)
もしもし
Moshi moshi
Hello (phone only)
お疲れ様です
Otsukaresama desu
Workplace hello / thanks for your effort
よろしくお願いします
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu
Please treat me favorably / nice to meet you
Useful Phrases And Real-Life Sentences
こんにちは — Konnichiwa — Hello / Good Afternoon
田中さん、こんにちは。
Tanaka-san, konnichiwa.
Hello, Mr. Tanaka.
おはようございます — Ohayō gozaimasu — Good Morning (Polite)
部長、おはようございます。
Buchō, ohayō gozaimasu.
Good morning, Director.
こんばんは — Konbanwa — Good Evening
こんばんは、今日は寒いですね。
Konbanwa, kyō wa samui desu ne.
Good evening, it’s cold tonight.
はじめまして — Hajimemashite — Nice To Meet You
はじめまして、エマです。
Hajimemashite, Ema desu.
Nice to meet you, I’m Emma.
よろしくお願いします — Yoroshiku onegaishimasu — Nice To Meet You / Please Be Kind To Me
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.
お久しぶりです — Ohisashiburi desu — Long Time No See
お久しぶりです。お元気でしたか。
Ohisashiburi desu. Ogenki deshita ka.
Long time no see. Have you been well?
元気ですか — Genki desu ka — How Are You?
元気ですか。最近忙しいですか。
Genki desu ka. Saikin isogashii desu ka.
How are you? Have you been busy lately?
お疲れ様です — Otsukaresama desu — Workplace Hello / Thanks For Your Work
お疲れ様です。会議の資料、拝見しました。
Otsukaresama desu. Kaigi no shiryō, haiken shimashita.
Hello, and thanks for your work. I looked over the meeting materials.
もしもし — Moshi moshi — Hello (Phone Only)
もしもし、佐藤さんですか。
Moshi moshi, Satō-san desu ka.
Hello, is this Ms. Sato?
いらっしゃいませ — Irasshaimase — Welcome
いらっしゃいませ。何名様ですか。
Irasshaimase. Nanmei-sama desu ka.
Welcome. How many people are in your party?
失礼します — Shitsurei shimasu — Excuse Me / Hello On Entering
失礼します。今、お時間よろしいでしょうか。
Shitsurei shimasu. Ima, ojikan yoroshii deshō ka.
Excuse me. Do you have a moment?
どうも — Dōmo — Hi / Hey There
どうも、先日はありがとう。
Dōmo, senjitsu wa arigatō.
Hey, and thanks for the other day.
Curious Bits That Save You From Awkwardness
こんにちは looks simple, but it is not an all-day universal pass. It fits daytime well, but with close friends it can sound a little stiff. Native speakers often switch to time-based greetings, name-plus-greeting, or just a casual opener instead.
もしもし is for the phone. Not in person. Not when you walk into class. Not when you meet your manager in the hallway. That would be memorable for all the wrong reasons.
Japanese work hellos are gloriously weird. In offices and group settings, お疲れ様です（otsukaresama desu） works like “hello,” “thanks,” and “I see you are alive and working” all at once. Also, in some workplaces, おはようございます（ohayō gozaimasu） can greet the start of a shift even if it is not morning. Language loves a curveball.
One spelling quirk worth knowing: こんにちは and こんばんは end with は, but you read that part as wa. Japanese kept the older spelling, just to keep learners humble.
Tables Of Words
On mobile, swipe sideways on the tables. Slightly annoying, yes. Still much better than guessing your way into a boss-level greeting mistake.
Everyday And First-Meeting Hellos
| Japanese | Rōmaji | Meaning | Example | Example Rōmaji | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| こんにちは | Konnichiwa | Hello / good afternoon | 田中さん、こんにちは。 | Tanaka-san, konnichiwa. | Hello, Mr. Tanaka. |
| おはようございます | Ohayō gozaimasu | Good morning (polite) | 部長、おはようございます。 | Buchō, ohayō gozaimasu. | Good morning, Director. |
| おはよう | Ohayō | Morning / good morning (casual) | おはよう、今日早いね。 | Ohayō, kyō hayai ne. | Morning, you’re early today. |
| こんばんは | Konbanwa | Good evening | こんばんは、今日は寒いですね。 | Konbanwa, kyō wa samui desu ne. | Good evening, it’s cold tonight. |
| どうも | Dōmo | Hi / hey there | どうも、先日はありがとう。 | Dōmo, senjitsu wa arigatō. | Hey, and thanks for the other day. |
| やあ | Yā | Hi / hey | やあ、元気？ | Yā, genki? | Hey, how are you? |
| もしもし | Moshi moshi | Hello (phone only) | もしもし、佐藤さんですか。 | Moshi moshi, Satō-san desu ka. | Hello, is this Ms. Sato? |
| 皆さん、こんにちは | Minasan, konnichiwa | Hello, everyone | 皆さん、こんにちは。今日は日本の挨拶を勉強します。 | Minasan, konnichiwa. Kyō wa Nihon no aisatsu o benkyō shimasu. | Hello, everyone. Today we’ll study Japanese greetings. |
| はじめまして | Hajimemashite | Nice to meet you | はじめまして、エマです。 | Hajimemashite, Ema desu. | Nice to meet you, I’m Emma. |
| よろしくお願いします | Yoroshiku onegaishimasu | Nice to meet you / please treat me favorably | 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. |
| どうぞよろしくお願いします | Dōzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu | Very nice to meet you | 山本です。どうぞよろしくお願いします。 | Yamamoto desu. Dōzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu. | I’m Yamamoto. It’s very nice to meet you. |
| お会いできてうれしいです | Oai dekite ureshii desu | Glad to meet you | 直接お会いできてうれしいです。 | Chokusetsu oai dekite ureshii desu. | I’m glad to meet you in person. |
Reunions And Check-In Hellos
| Japanese | Rōmaji | Meaning | Example | Example Rōmaji | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| お会いできて光栄です | Oai dekite kōei desu | Honored to meet you | 本日お会いできて光栄です。 | Honjitsu oai dekite kōei desu. | I’m honored to meet you today. |
| お久しぶりです | Ohisashiburi desu | Long time no see (polite) | お久しぶりです。お元気でしたか。 | Ohisashiburi desu. Ogenki deshita ka. | Long time no see. Have you been well? |
| 久しぶり | Hisashiburi | Long time no see (casual) | 久しぶり！元気だった？ | Hisashiburi! Genki datta? | Long time no see! Have you been well? |
| ご無沙汰しております | Gobusata shite orimasu | It’s been a while (formal) | ご無沙汰しております。山田です。 | Gobusata shite orimasu. Yamada desu. | It’s been a while. This is Yamada. |
| 元気ですか | Genki desu ka | How are you? | 元気ですか。最近忙しいですか。 | Genki desu ka. Saikin isogashii desu ka. | How are you? Have you been busy lately? |
| お元気ですか | Ogenki desu ka | How are you? (polite) | お元気ですか。皆さまによろしくお伝えください。 | Ogenki desu ka. Minasama ni yoroshiku otsutae kudasai. | How are you? Please give my regards to everyone. |
| 調子はどうですか | Chōshi wa dō desu ka | How’s it going? | 新しい仕事の調子はどうですか。 | Atarashii shigoto no chōshi wa dō desu ka. | How’s the new job going? |
| 調子どう？ | Chōshi dō? | How’s it going? (casual) | 調子どう？最近会ってなかったね。 | Chōshi dō? Saikin attenakatta ne. | How’s it going? Haven’t seen you lately. |
| 最近どう？ | Saikin dō? | How have you been lately? | 最近どう？学校は楽しい？ | Saikin dō? Gakkō wa tanoshii? | How’ve you been lately? Is school fun? |
| いかがお過ごしですか | Ikaga osugoshi desu ka | How have you been? (very formal) | 最近はいかがお過ごしですか。 | Saikin wa ikaga osugoshi desu ka. | How have you been recently? |
| 変わりないですか | Kawari nai desu ka | Everything the same? / how have you been? | その後、変わりないですか。 | Sono go, kawari nai desu ka. | Since then, how have you been? |
| お変わりありませんか | Okawari arimasen ka | Have you been well? (formal) | その後、お変わりありませんか。 | Sono go, okawari arimasen ka. | Have you been well since then? |
Work, Business, Store, And Phone Hellos
| Japanese | Rōmaji | Meaning | Example | Example Rōmaji | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| お疲れ様です | Otsukaresama desu | Workplace hello / thanks for your effort | お疲れ様です。会議の資料、拝見しました。 | Otsukaresama desu. Kaigi no shiryō, haiken shimashita. | Hello, and thanks for your work. I looked over the meeting materials. |
| お疲れさま | Otsukaresama | Hey, good work (casual workplace) | お疲れさま。先に来てたんだね。 | Otsukaresama. Saki ni kitetanda ne. | Hey, good work. You got here before me. |
| お世話になっております | Osewa ni natte orimasu | Standard business hello | お世話になっております。ABCの木村です。 | Osewa ni natte orimasu. ABC no Kimura desu. | Thank you for your continued support. This is Kimura from ABC. |
| いつもお世話になっております | Itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu | Thank you as always for your support | いつもお世話になっております。先日の件でご連絡しました。 | Itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu. Senjitsu no ken de gorenraku shimashita. | Thank you as always for your support. I’m contacting you about the other day. |
| 失礼します | Shitsurei shimasu | Excuse me / hello on entering | 失礼します。今、お時間よろしいでしょうか。 | Shitsurei shimasu. Ima, ojikan yoroshii deshō ka. | Excuse me. Do you have a moment? |
| 失礼いたします | Shitsurei itashimasu | Excuse me (extra polite) | 失礼いたします。本日から担当します中村です。 | Shitsurei itashimasu. Honjitsu kara tantō shimasu Nakamura desu. | Excuse me. I’m Nakamura and I’ll be handling this from today. |
| 本日はよろしくお願いいたします | Honjitsu wa yoroshiku onegai itashimasu | I look forward to working with you today | 本日はよろしくお願いいたします。では、始めましょう。 | Honjitsu wa yoroshiku onegai itashimasu. Dewa, hajimemashō. | Thank you in advance for today. Let’s begin. |
| いらっしゃいませ | Irasshaimase | Welcome | いらっしゃいませ。何名様ですか。 | Irasshaimase. Nanmei-sama desu ka. | Welcome. How many people are in your party? |
| ようこそ | Yōkoso | Welcome / welcome to | 日本へようこそ。 | Nihon e yōkoso. | Welcome to Japan. |
| まいど | Maido | Hi / welcome / thanks for your business (Kansai) | まいど！今日は何にしましょう。 | Maido! Kyō wa nani ni shimashō. | Hi there! What can I get you today? |
| 突然のご連絡失礼いたします | Totsuzen no gorenraku shitsurei itashimasu | Sorry for contacting you out of the blue | 突然のご連絡失礼いたします。求人を拝見してご連絡しました。 | Totsuzen no gorenraku shitsurei itashimasu. Kyūjin o haiken shite gorenraku shimashita. | Sorry for contacting you unexpectedly. I’m writing because I saw your job listing. |
| お忙しいところ失礼します | Oisogashii tokoro shitsurei shimasu | Sorry to bother you when you’re busy | お忙しいところ失礼します。少しだけ確認させてください。 | Oisogashii tokoro shitsurei shimasu. Sukoshi dake kakunin sasete kudasai. | Sorry to bother you when you’re busy. Please let me confirm one small thing. |
| もしもし、聞こえますか | Moshi moshi, kikoemasu ka | Hello, can you hear me? | もしもし、聞こえますか。電波が悪いですね。 | Moshi moshi, kikoemasu ka. Denpa ga warui desu ne. | Hello, can you hear me? The signal is bad. |
| お電話ありがとうございます | Odenwa arigatō gozaimasu | Thank you for calling | お電話ありがとうございます。予約の件ですね。 | Odenwa arigatō gozaimasu. Yoyaku no ken desu ne. | Thanks for calling. This is about the reservation, right? |
| はい、田中です | Hai, Tanaka desu | Hello, this is Tanaka | はい、田中です。いつもお世話になっております。 | Hai, Tanaka desu. Itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu. | Hello, this is Tanaka. Thank you for your continued support. |
| こんにちは、田中です | Konnichiwa, Tanaka desu | Hello, this is Tanaka | こんにちは、田中です。今、お時間大丈夫ですか。 | Konnichiwa, Tanaka desu. Ima, ojikan daijōbu desu ka. | Hello, this is Tanaka. Is now a good time? |
Casual, Slangy, And Regional Hellos
| Japanese | Rōmaji | Meaning | Example | Example Rōmaji | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| こんちは | Konchiwa | Hi (casual contraction of こんにちは) | こんちは、今日ヒマ？ | Konchiwa, kyō hima? | Hey, are you free today? |
| こんちゃ | Koncha | Hiya (very casual) | こんちゃ、さっき駅で見かけたよ。 | Koncha, sakki eki de mikaketa yo. | Hiya, I saw you at the station earlier. |
| ヤッホー | Yahhō | Yoo-hoo / hey | ヤッホー！こっちこっち。 | Yahhō! Kocchi kocchi. | Hey! Over here. |
| ごきげんよう | Gokigenyō | Good day / how do you do (refined, old-fashioned) | ごきげんよう。本日はよいお天気ですね。 | Gokigenyō. Honjitsu wa yoi otenki desu ne. | Good day. Lovely weather today. |
| ハロー | Harō | Hello (loanword) | ハロー、元気？ | Harō, genki? | Hello, how are you? |
| よっ | Yo | Yo / hey | よっ、久しぶり。 | Yo, hisashiburi. | Yo, long time no see. |
| よう | Yō | Yo / hey | よう、何してるの？ | Yō, nani shiteru no? | Yo, what are you up to? |
| おっす | Ossu | Hey / yo (masculine, rough) | おっす、今日の練習何時？ | Ossu, kyō no renshū nanji? | Hey, what time is practice today? |
| ういっす | Uissu | Hey / yep (very casual) | ういっす、今向かってる。 | Uissu, ima mukatteru. | Hey, I’m on my way now. |
| ちーっす | Chīssu | Hey / sup (slangy) | ちーっす、先に入ってるね。 | Chīssu, saki ni haitteru ne. | Hey, I’m heading in first. |
Common Mistakes And Fast Fixes
- Do not use もしもし in person. Save it for phone calls.
- Do not throw おっす, ういっす, or ちーっす at your boss. Those live in the casual-to-very-casual zone.
- はじめまして is only for the first meeting. Using it again with the same person is a weird reset button.
- こんにちは is not the warmest default with close friends. Casual speech often shifts to shorter greetings or check-in phrases.
- お疲れ様です is extremely useful at work. Outside that world, it can sound oddly specific.
- ごきげんよう is real, but marked. It sounds elegant, refined, and often old-fashioned, not everyday basic.
Fast Pick: Which Hello Should You Use?
| Situation | Best Pick |
|---|---|
| Morning with a teacher, boss, or stranger | おはようございます（Ohayō gozaimasu） |
| Morning with a friend | おはよう（Ohayō） |
| Daytime neutral hello | こんにちは（Konnichiwa） |
| Evening hello | こんばんは（Konbanwa） |
| First time meeting someone | はじめまして（Hajimemashite） + よろしくお願いします（Yoroshiku onegaishimasu） |
| Long time no see | お久しぶりです（Ohisashiburi desu） or 久しぶり（Hisashiburi） |
| Phone call | もしもし（Moshi moshi） or はい、田中です（Hai, Tanaka desu） |
| Workplace hello | お疲れ様です（Otsukaresama desu） |
Yak’s Last Nudge
If you only memorize five things, make them these: おはようございます, こんにちは, こんばんは, はじめまして, and よろしくお願いします. Add お疲れ様です if work is involved and もしもし if phones still exist in your life, which somehow they do. That tiny set covers a shocking amount of real Japanese without making you sound like you learned greetings from one anime opening and pure optimism.
