How to say hello in Japanese: こんにちは and polite variants
“Hello” in Japanese is こんにちは (konnichiwa) during the day. In the morning, you politely say おはようございます (ohayō gozaimasu), and in the evening — こんばんは (konbanwa). In the office and on the phone, instead of a greeting, people say お疲れ様です (o-tsukaresama desu) and もしもし (moshi moshi).
The Japanese “hello” depends not on who you are speaking to, but on what time it is. The same person gets ohayō gozaimasu in the morning, konnichiwa in the afternoon, and konbanwa in the evening. Making a mistake is not a big deal, but your interlocutor will notice it, just as we notice “good morning” at six in the evening.
How to say “hello” in Japanese
| Japanese | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| こんにちは | konnichiwa · konnichiwa | Hello, good afternoon (roughly from 11 a.m. until dark) |
| おはようございます | ohayō gozaimasu · ohayō gozaimasu | Good morning (polite) (the most polite morning greeting) |
| こんばんは | konbanwa · konbanwa | Good evening |
| はじめまして | hajimemashite · hajimemashite | Hello (when meeting someone for the first time) (literally “for the first time”) |
| お疲れ様です | o-tsukaresama desu · o-tsukaresama desu | Hello (at work) (to colleagues at any time of day) |
| 失礼します | shitsurei shimasu · shitsurei shimasu | Excuse me (when entering an office) (replaces a greeting when entering) |
Why they don’t say “konnichiwa” in the office
To a colleague during the day, you say お疲れ様です — “you have worked hard.” This is simultaneously a greeting, an acknowledgment of work, and a polite formula for all occasions. こんにちは among colleagues in the office would sound as if you came there as a visitor.
How to greet in the most polite way
- Add a bow: a slight nod of 15° is ordinary politeness, a 30° bow is respect for a senior or a client.
- At a first meeting, the full formula is: はじめまして。[name]です。よろしくお願いします — “Hello. I am [name]. I ask for your favor.”
- On the phone, you start with もしもし (moshi moshi) or immediately with the company name — the greeting is often skipped.
- You don’t offer your hand: a handshake in Japan is not a greeting but a business gesture adopted from the West.
Say the greeting aloud
In “konnichiwa,” the double “n” is clearly heard: kon-ni-chi-wa.
FAQ
- How do you say “hello” in Japanese?
- こんにちは (konnichiwa) — during the day. In the morning, it’s more polite to say おはようございます (ohayō gozaimasu), in the evening — こんばんは (konbanwa). When meeting someone for the first time — はじめまして.
- What is the most polite greeting?
- In the morning — おはようございます, at other times こんにちは with a bow. In a business setting, the greeting is often replaced with お疲れ様です or 失礼します when entering.
- What do you say when meeting someone for the first time?
- はじめまして (hajimemashite) — “I see you for the first time,” then your name and よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu) — a request for goodwill.
- What happens if you say “konnichiwa” in the morning?
- They will understand, but it will sound like “good afternoon” at seven in the morning. Until 10–11 a.m., you say おはようございます, after that you switch to こんにちは.
Updated: 2026-07-25