ハロー! 8 ways to say ‘Hello’ in Japanese
こんにちは（Konnichiwa)！ This is the most common way to say Hello in Japanese. Depending on the situation though there are several other ways to say ‘Hello’ or to greet someone. Here are 8 ways to say Hello in Japanese.
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Say Hello anytime with こんにちは (Konnichiwa)
Again the most common word for hello. It translates to Good Day or Good Afternoon in English. You can use this anytime throughout the day but is less common in the morning or evening.
https://japaneseuniverse.com/2024/02/18/pac-man-in-japaneseconcepts-behind-development-to-global-icon/こんにちは comes from a longer phrase.
今日はご機嫌はいかがですか
How are you today
So this roughly translating to How are you today or How do you feel today.
To say Good Morning say おはようございます (Ohayou Gozaimasu)
Just like in the morning English has Good Morning, the Japanese language also has a word for Good Morning. That word is おはようございます. This word comes from おはよう which translates to Early and ございます which is a formal word for to be.
So, a direct translation for おはようございます would be It’s Early. A less informal way to say おはようございます would be just おはよう.
こんばんは (Konbanwa) to say Hello at night
Anytime in the evening or night, you would say こんばんは. This would be the say as saying Good Evening.
Say はじめまして (Hajimemashite) when first meeting someone
When you are introducing your self to someone for the first time you would say ‘Hello’ with the word はじめまして. This word is often translated to Nice to meet you or How do you do.
It actually comes from the word Beginning or Start. Hence using it when you first meet someone.
もしもし (Moshi Moshi) means Hello on the Telephone
This is a fun word. It can mean Excuse me when you are trying to get someone’s attention or Hello when you are talking on the phone. Whenever you pick up the phone to talk to someone you would say もしもし.
ひさしぶり (Hisashiburi) is ‘Hello’ for people you haven’t seen in a while
If you haven’t met with someone for a long time you would say ひさしぶり. This word literally means, a long time or a while. So when you say ひさしぶり you are saying, It’s been a while.
There is not a clear consensus on how long time has to have passed since seeing the other person. It could be a week or more, a month, a year. You would say this just when you feel it has been longer than usual for meeting the other persons or if you feel it has just been a long time.
やあ (Yaa) as an informal way to say Hello or Hey
やあ！ This is the most informal way out of the 8 ways to say Hello. It would not be used in any formal situation but ok with close friends.
People in Shops will greet you with いらっしゃいませ (Irasshaimase)
This is the most unique word which does not have a direct translation in English but the closest word would be welcome. Anytime you walk into a store or business in Japan the staff will greet you with いらっしゃいませ. It comes from the word いらっしゃる which is a polite way of saying to be, to go, or to come.
It is not common for people to respond back to this by saying Hello or anything else. If you want to though, that is fine of course or you can just smile or nod.
Japanese is rich with Greetings
Whether you are saying Hello, Good-bye, or whatever Japanese has several greetings. If you are learning Japanese or planning a trip to Japan these 8 words should be enough to help you say Hello to people. If you want to learn more about the Japanese language or what to say in other social situations I have more articles you can read here.
If you want to learn more Japanese I reviewed a dictionary of grammar series which I personally recommend and use myself.
