お休みなさい – How to say Good Night in Japanese
お休みなさい or お休み for short is how you say Good Night in Japanese. お休みなさい (oyasumi-nasai) is the standard or polite way and お休み (oyasumi) is the abbreviated or informal way to say good night in Japanese. Now that we have that, let’s take a closer look at how to actually use these words correctly.
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How to say Good Night in Japanese
In Japan, your manner of speaking to someone depends on the level of familiarity with them. That’s because of linguistic elements in Japanese that convey respect, humility, and, of course, politeness. As you may have guessed, saying お休みなさい (oyasuminasai) is the polite way to say good night in Japanese, while お休み (oyasumi) is the less formal option.
However, if you find yourself uncertain about the appropriate choice when talking with someone, it’s still acceptable to use お休みなさい. Although this phrase maintains a polite form, it remains a standard greeting. Therefore, even if your relationship with the person allows for the use of the more informal “お休み,” it is entirely acceptable to stick with お休みなさい.
In the event that the other person perceives your language as overly formal, they may communicate their preference. Most individuals won’t react negatively if you opt for お休み and your relationship is not as close as assumed. Nevertheless, it is advisable to err on the side of politeness rather than informality. Japanese people generally won’t hold it against a learner struggling with polite language, as mastery can be challenging. However, they will likely appreciate and respect someone consistently using polite Japanese rather than exclusively informal expressions.
What does お休みなさい mean?
Now to understand how to say good night in Japanese even more let’s break down the word, お休みなさい.
お休みなさい is from the Japanese verb, 休む ( yasumu ) which means to rest.
Next, なさい is the imperative form of the Japanese word なさる ( nasaru ). This verb is an honorific verb used when talking about people of a higher status and means to do something.
Finally the お ( o ) is a prefix added to words in Japanese for politeness.So in this case お休みなさい would translate to please rest.
When do you say お休みなさい?
お休みなさい and お休み are greetings that you say to someone when parting at night for the last time.
Generally you say it at home to wish someone sweet dreams. But, you can also say it if you are out and about when it is time for everyone to go home. So it can also mean have a good night. But, there is some personal differences between how people perceive this though and if it is the best word to use though when departing. When you say お休みなさい for departing it still has the nuance that someone will probably be going to sleep. So some people may choose other words to say good night in Japanese if they are not wanting to wish the other person sweet dreams.
Some other choices then could be the words below which I explain all about in the following post:
- お疲れ様でした
- ありがとうございました
- さようなら
