Greetings and Other Expressions (2024)

This is the second of three lessons covering basic expressions. In this section, you'll learn greetings and sendings for different situations and several other important expressions. As with the last section, you should learn know how to use Japanese pronunciation, but no grammar knowledge is needed.

Recommended background:

  • A Guide to Japanese Pronunciation
  • Politeness and Formality in Japanese

Hello and Goodbye

Like most languages, Japanese has several greetings for different times of the day.

おはようございます。Ohayou gozaimasu.exp. "Good morning." (formal)
おはよう。Ohayou.exp. "Good morning." (informal)
こんにちは。Konnichiwa.exp. "Hello"/"Good afternoon."
こんばんは。Konbanwa.exp. "Good evening."

Ohayou gozaimasu literally means "It's early". Ohayou is an obscure inflection of the adjective "hayai" (early) and gozaimasu is the honorific equialent of "desu", meaning "to be".

Read more aboutthe copula "desu"

The shorter version, "ohayou", is informal. Either can be used until about 11:00 in the morning, at which point "konnichiwa" is the appropriate greeting.

Konnichiwa is spelled ko-n-ni-chi-HA in Hiragana. "Konnichi" means "today" based on its parts, but is never used as an independent word. (The normal word for "today" is kyou.)

The 'wa' here is the topic marker "wa", a particle (grammar word) always spelled は 'ha' for historical reasons. This is the same wa as in the sentence "Watashi wa [name] desu". So konnichiwa is idiomatic, having a meaning different from the sum of its parts. Literally, it would mean something like "As for today…", but in practice it is used just like the English "hello".

Konbanwa is built similarly tokonnichiwa, with the spelling ko-n-ba-n-HA, but this time "konban" (this evening) is also a normal word.

Neither konnichiwanor konbanwahashas a more or less polite version, but there are several other greetings that may be more appropriate for a particular situation, some of which you'll learn below.

Now, here are some of the most common sendings.

さようなら。Sayounara.exp. "Goodbye."
(じゃ、)また(ね)。(Ja,) mata (ne).exp. "See you later." (informal)
(じゃ、)また あとで。(Ja,) mata atode.exp. "See you later." (informal)
じゃあ、ね。Jaa, ne.exp. "See you later." (informal)
おやすみなさい。O-yasumi nasai.exp. "Good night." (formal)
おやすみ。O-yasumi.exp. "Good night." (informal)

I have no doubt you've heard sayounara before, but for the love of all things good in this world, please don't pronounce it "sai-uh-nar-uh" like the clueless Americans do. If you learned your Japanese pronunciation like you were supposed to, then you should be keeping the consonants with the vowels that follow: sa-yo-o-na-ra, with a long 'yo' (though the 'yo' is sometimes shortened).

Like konnichiwa and konbanwa, sayounara doesn't have any variants for different levels of politeness–instead, completely different expressions are used. We'll cover a few such expressions below.

Japanese does, however, have a variety of ways to say the equivalent of "See you later". Most of these are built from some combination of a few parts:ja… (well…), mata (again), atode (later), and ne (right?). Any of the versions I've given above would be acceptable in informal speech, and usually better than sayounara if you'll be seeing the person again soon.

O-yasumi nasai is literally a polite command to rest (yasumi comes from the verb "yasumu"/to rest), but is used the same way as the English "good night". Like with ohayou gozaimasu, dropping the "nasai" makes this expression informal.

Note: the "o" in ohayou and o-yasumi nasai is the honorific prefix "o". You'll also see it in several more expressions below.

Specialized Greetings and Sendings

The next couple sets of expressions are not usually introduced until later on in most textbooks, but since there's no particular reason why you shouldn't be able to understand them, I'm including them on this page to keep similar content grouped together. Don't feel obligated to memorize these ones immediately.

The first set of specialized greetings are those used when leaving and returning home.

いってきます。Ittekimasu.exp. "I'm leaving."
いってらしゃい。Itterashai.exp. "Goodbye."
ただいま。Tadaima.exp. "I'm back."
おかえり(なさい)。O-kaeri (nasai).exp. "Welcome back."

These are generally used as follows:

When someone leaves…
Person leaving:「いってきます。」"Ittekimasu."
Anyone else:「いってらしゃい。」"Itterasshai.'
When someone returns…
Person returning:「ただいま。」"Tadaima."
Anyone else:「おかえり。」"O-kaeri."

Ittekimasu literally means "I'll go and come back" while Itterasshai (pay attention to the two doubled consonants) means "Please go and come back". Tadaima is short forTadaima kaerimashita, meaning "I've just come back", ando-kaeri nasai is a sort of command like "please come in" (from kaeru "to return"). The only one of these four with two frequently used versions iso-kaeri nasai, and as with o-yasumi nasai, dropping the "nasai" makes it less formal.

Interestingly, this exchange is also used in other circumstances where one person leaves a group of people with the intention of returning. If you think about the word roots used (go, come, return) this makes perfect sense.

Another pair of expressions that substitute for konnichiwa and so on are the following:

しつれいします。Shitsurei shimasu.exp. "Sorry to bother you."
しつれいしました。Shitsurei shimashita.exp. "Sorry to have bothered you."

Shitsurei shimasu literally means "I'm going to do a rude thing." It has various uses, and one of these is when entering a room to meet someone of a higher rank, for example a student coming to see a teacher. The person of higher rank can greet their visitor in various ways depending on the exact relationship. The past tense of the same expression,shitsurei shimashita, means something like "I've done a rude thing", and is used when leaving. Again, the higher rank person might say something considerably less formal in return.

Confusingly,shitsurei shimasu is also used to excuse oneself. One example of this use is when leaving work earlier than one's coworkers.

おさきに しつれいします。O-saki ni shitsurei shimasu.exp. "Sorry for leaving before you." (formal)
おさきに。O-saki ni.exp. "Sorry for leaving before you." (informal)

O-saki ni means "before". The short form of the expression is used in less formal situations. There is also a corresponding response for each.

おつかれさまでした。O-tsukare-sama deshita.exp. "Thank you for your hard work." (formal)
おつかれさま。O-tsukare-sama.exp. "Thank you for your hard work." (informal)

The "tsukare" in these expressions means "become tired", and the literal meaning of the whole thing is something like "You must be tired". These expressions can also be used without having been prompted by o-saki ni, whether the leaving person literally looks tired or just assuming they've been working hard at anything.

Note: the "sama" in "o-tsukare-sama" is not related the name suffix"sama".

Follow-ups for Greetings

As we finish with greetings, let's looks at a couple more expressions that typically follow initial greetings.

おげんきですか。O-genki desu ka?exp. "Are you well?
はい、(おかげさまで)げんきです。Hai, (o-kage-sama de) genki desu.exp. "Yes, I'm fine, thanks."
いいおてんきですね。Ii o-tenki desu ne?exp. "Nice weather, isn't it?"
そうですね。Sou desu ne.exp. "It is, isn't it?"

Note: "ka" is the question particle and "ne" expects the listener's agreement. You can read more about these in Questions and Negation and The Sentence Ending Particle "Yo" and "Ne".

The first question is the equivalent of "How are you?" in English ("Genki" means "good health"). The optional o-kage-sama de in the response means something like "thanks to you (for asking)", and makes it more polite.

In practice, Japanese people don't generally ask if someone is well unless they haven't seen eachother for a while or they're genuinely concerned. Instead, you're more likely to encounter some kind of filler. In the case of the second question, a common one, "ii" means good and "tenki" means weather. Whether or you not you actually think the weather is nice or not isn't the point. Just agree with them and move on.

Other Common Expressions

The rest of the expressions in this section have no particular theme, but are easy to use and useful for beginners.

(どうも)ありがとう(ございます)。(Doumo) arigatou (gozaimasu).exp. "Thank you (very much)."
(どうも)すみません。(Doumo) sumimasen.exp. "Excuse me."/"I'm sorry."
しつれいします。Shitsurei shimasu.exp. "Excuse me."/"I'm sorry."
ごめん(なさい)。Gomen nasai.exp. "I'm sorry."
ようこそ。Youkoso.exp. "Welcome."
いらっしゃいませ。Irrasshaimase.exp. "Welcome. Come in."
いただきます。Itadakimasu.exp. "I receive."
ごちそうさま(でした)。Gochisou-sama (deshita).exp. "It was quite a feast."

You probably already know arigatou, but note the long "o" at the end. Similar to ohayou, it's an obscure inflection of "arigatai", meaning "grateful". The "doumo" part ofdoumo arigatou gozaimasu carries the literal meaning of "very" while the "gozaimasu" is needed for the expression to be polite.

Sumimasen is a true multitasker, but the use you should learn first is that of a general purpose "excuse me", often used where in English we would say "I'm sorry". Shitsurei shimasu, which you saw earlier, is also used for this purpose, and is somewhat more polite.Gomen nasai is a more literal "I'm sorry", somewhat less polite than the other two (dropping "nasai" makes it fully informal).

Youkoso andirasshaimase both mean "welcome", butyoukoso is used in the sense of "welcome to our country" (ex. Nihon e youkoso/Welcome to Japan) while irasshaimase has more of a sense of "come in", so you'll hear it used for customers and guests in stores, restaurants, hotels, and even homes.

Itadakimasu, literally "I receive", is said before a meal, and gochisou-sama deshita is used to thank the host or cook after finishing. As you might expect by now, dropping the "deshita" makes it informal.

Of the expressions covered so far, feel free to memorize those that you need at the moment and come back to learn the others as you encounter them in whatever textbook or course you are using.

What Next?

Names and Introduction

Classroom Expressions

The Structure of a Japanese Sentence

Having trouble understanding something? Anything I've missed? Please send your feedback using the contact form and help me improve this site. All questions, comments, and corrections are welcome.

Greetings and Other Expressions (2024)

FAQs

How do you respond to greetings? ›

The most common way of greeting someone both at an informal level and more formally would be: Hello! How are you? to which the standard reply is: Very well, thank you. or: Fine, thank you. (Note that the question is not usually meant or interpreted as a searching enquiry after the person's health.)

What is the response to Bom Dia? ›

In response, you can either say Tenha um bom dia/uma boa tarde/uma boa noite também (Have a good morning/afternoon/evening too) or, depending on whom you're addressing, a simple “para você também” (For you too) will suffice.

What is a good formal greeting for most situation? ›

Common Formal Greetings
  • Good afternoon.
  • Good evening.
  • Good evening, Mrs. Smith.
  • Good morning.
  • Hello, Dr. Johnson.
  • Hello, ma'am.
  • Hello, sir.
  • How are you?
29 Dec 2021

What is a good response? ›

Reply with “I'm fine/Not bad/ Pretty good/Great”. Or, if you're in a bad mood, it's ok to say “I've been better”.

How do you respond to greetings from the other side of the world? ›

You can adopt their sense of the greeting and report from your own locale: “Good evening from here!” OR you can politely wish that they go on having a good morning in their location! Either's fine, or even both! This is the best advice.

What are the two types of greetings? ›

Formal salutations like "hello" or time-specific salutations like "good morning" or "good evening" are the most respectful.
...
2. Informal Greetings
  • Welcome to my presentation, everyone, and good morning. ...
  • - A another way to say "hi." This is a cheery, welcoming welcome.
16 Dec 2020

How many types of greetings are there? ›

Opening Greetings
GreetingUsage (Oral / Written)Language Register
Good morning / day / eveningWritten and OralFormal – Neutral
Hello (+ Mr. X / Mrs. X / Miss X / Ms. X)Written and OralFormal
HelloWritten and OralNeutral
Hello (+ First name)Written and OralNeutral – Informal
14 more rows

How do we share our greetings to others? ›

In this post, I'm going to share 8 ways to be friendlier when greeting people.
  1. Acknowledge People. ...
  2. Make Eye Contact. ...
  3. Smile. ...
  4. Be Polite and Courteous. ...
  5. Be Positive. ...
  6. Be Confident. ...
  7. Show Interest in People. ...
  8. Remember People.

How do you respond to Tudo bom? ›

How to reply to Tudo bem in Brazil? The most common way to answer is to simply say: Tudo. You can also say: Tudo bem.

How do you respond to Ola Tudo bem? ›

you answer the way you feel like “Tudo bem, obrigado. “ (I'm fine thanks) or “Nem por isso, obrigado” (Not so good, but thanks). Most often it's just used as a greeting, so “tudo bem, obrigado” is the most common answer.

What Boa tarde means? ›

boa tarde! good afternoon! hoje à tarde this afternoon. à or de tarde in the afternoon.

What is formal and informal greetings examples? ›

Formal greetings are usually used when you are speaking with your employer or someone of high authority examples include Hello,Good morning, Nice to meet you. Informal greetings are usually used when speaking with friends or relatives examples,hey,how are ya, what's up .

What is informal greetings? ›

Informal Greetings. Greetings in English are phrases used to say hello. Depending on the situation, a greeting may be formal or informal. Informal greetings are often used between friends or other people who know each other closely.

How many types of greetings explain with example? ›

"Hey" Informal. Good Bye,greeting used while leaving each other. "Good [morning, afternoon, evening,night], Formal , which changes with the time of day. "What's up?", "Yo", "What's up?", "'Sup" and "What's happening?", which are not formal.

How do you do reply? ›

'How do you do ? ' is a slightly formal form of greeting extended to someone, encountered for the first time on a particular day. There is no 'correct response', as such, but a generally accepted response would be 'very well, thank you'/'fine, thanks'..

How are you doing reply? ›

I'M DOING WELL. This is a good answer if you want to be gracious and share something but not get into a heavy discussion. The “thank you for asking” up front warms up your response by showing that you appreciate the question. Saying that you are doing well indicates that you want to offer some insight into your life.

What are you up reply? ›

“What Are You Up To?” Can Be Another Way to Say Hello

Lots of times, people answer the question “What are you up to?” with “Not much,” or “Nothing.” Then they will ask their friend the same question, and it becomes another way to say hello between friends.

How do you respond to good morning in the formal greeting? ›

If you are on formal terms with the person then you wish them back with, “Good Morning to you too,” or “Morning.”

How do you say please do not reply to all? ›

To prevent reply to all emails, the person who initiates the first email can put in LARGE FONT, “Please reply only to me!” You can also bcc people on the initial email so the reply's don't go to everyone. It also takes only one person who asks people to stop replying to all, for the email chain to stop.

Should I reply or reply all? ›

Reply vs. Reply All. Use Reply when you only want to send your message to a single person in an email thread -- either the original sender of the email or the last person to reply in the thread. Reply All when you want to respond to every contact on the thread.

What is greetings and respect? ›

The Meaning Of Greetings : Greetings is a way of showing accolades or respect to someone that is older than we are . It is a cultural way and religious instruction to give honour and respect to who so ever that is older than we are.

What is the purpose of greetings? ›

Greeting is an act of communication in which human beings intentionally make their presence known to each other, to show attention to, and to suggest a type of relationship (usually cordial) or social status (formal or informal) between individuals or groups of people coming in contact with each other.

What is the importance of greetings? ›

Greeting is one of the basic functions of communication and triggers positive conversations. It helps us connect to people at a more personal level. A hello can make friends of two strangers, it can bring a smile to someone who is alone. A hello can change how we feel about a person, place and ourselves.

What are the four greetings? ›

Let's go over 10 different ways that we can say hello or greet someone in English.
  • Hello. ...
  • Hi. ...
  • Hey. ...
  • Good morning. / Good afternoon. / Good evening. ...
  • Note: We use "good night" to say goodbye, but we can never use "good night" to say hello. ...
  • It's nice to meet you. ...
  • It's a pleasure to meet you. ...
  • It's good to see you again.

Is the word greetings formal? ›

A greeting is simply a way of saying hello to someone. In the English language, there are multiple ways in which this can be done. There are greetings which can be used in formal situations and also greetings which are used in a more friendly, informal setting.

What is new greeting? ›

Phrase. what's new? (informal) An informal greeting asking the other person what has recently happened in their life. A typical response might be "Not much; you?". The greeting is not always literal and may just be used to say hello.

Can I say greetings everyone? ›

Greetings

“Greetings” might sound too formal, but it can work best if some of the recipients include people on the board or higher up in the company. It's also a good option when you want to address the entire team, but you're trying to find the best person to reach out to.

How do you respond to warm regards? ›

Here are some other options you can use:
  1. Sincerely.
  2. With appreciation.
  3. Yours sincerely.
  4. Yours cordially.
  5. Best wishes.
  6. Take care.
  7. Talk soon.

How are you as a greeting? ›

If you are still wondering what all this means, the question “how are you?” (or “how's it going?”) just simply means “hello” and is meant as a greeting. There is no expectation for an answer. In fact, it would be odd if someone were to say anything more than just “Good” or “Fine.” Don't take it personally.

How do you reply to Beleza? ›

As an informal greeting

The word “Beleza” is a very common greeting in Brazil. You're asking someone if “all is a beauty” or if “everything's good”. The person can then reply “Beleza”, to confirm this or as simply a way to acknowledge your greeting.

Do you love me in Brazil language? ›

Te amo. The most traditional way to say 'I love you' in Brazilian Portuguese is te amo. Like its English translation, it can be used among close friends and as the first definite declaration of the beginning of a serious relationship.

How do you respond to Obrigado? ›

“You're Welcome” in Portuguese: De nada

So when someone says obrigado or valeu to you, gives you their graças, or tells you that they want to agradecer you, what should your reply be? The most common way to say “you're welcome” is de nada; literally “of nothing”. You can also say por nada.

How do you say yes in Brazilian? ›

Sim. This is the word you probably have already heard at least once or twice in your life if you are interested in the Portuguese language. Sim means simply yes.

What does Beleza mean in Brazil? ›

Beleza literally means “beauty,” but in slang terms it means “okay,” “good,” “fine.” For example, if you say to a friend, “I'll meet you at 9 for coffee,” your friend can reply, beleza, which means “Okay.”

What's the meaning of Obrigado? ›

British English: thanks! / ˈθæŋks/ INTERJECTION. You can say `thanks! ' to show that you are grateful to someone for something they have done.

Does tarde mean late? ›

Etymology 1

From Old Portuguese tarde, from Latin tardē (“tardily; late”, adverb), from tardus (“late”, adjective).

How do you say good afternoon in Portuguese? ›

How do you say "good afternoon" in Brazilian Portuguese? - YouTube

How do you exchange greetings in English? ›

Formal Greetings
  1. Hello!
  2. Hi there.
  3. Good morning.
  4. Good afternoon.
  5. Good evening.
  6. It's nice to meet you.
  7. It's a pleasure to meet you. As you may have assumed, these last two only work when you are meeting someone for the first time. We hope you enjoy putting these new English greetings to use!

How do you respond to warm regards? ›

Here are some other options you can use:
  1. Sincerely.
  2. With appreciation.
  3. Yours sincerely.
  4. Yours cordially.
  5. Best wishes.
  6. Take care.
  7. Talk soon.

How do you respond to good morning in the formal greeting? ›

If you are on formal terms with the person then you wish them back with, “Good Morning to you too,” or “Morning.”

How do you respond to a text? ›

Reply to a message
  1. Open the Chat app or Gmail app .
  2. On the bottom, tap Chat or Spaces .
  3. Open a chat message or a space.
  4. If you're in a space, below the message, tap Reply .
  5. Enter your message or select a suggestion. You can customize a suggested message before you send it.
  6. Tap Send .

What is informal greetings? ›

Informal greetings are used with family and friends. They could be just a 'hi, how are you? ' or some people might hug each other especially if they haven't seen each other in a long time.

What kind of language expressions are used in greeting and introducing a person? ›

13 Ways to Greet Someone
  • Hello. This is the most basic greeting in English. ...
  • Hi. This is a shorter version of "hello". ...
  • Hey. Now, "hey" is definitely more casual than "hi" or "hello". ...
  • Good morning. / Good afternoon. / Good evening. ...
  • It's nice to meet you. ...
  • It's a pleasure to meet you. ...
  • It's good to see you again. ...
  • What's up?

What is the most common greeting? ›

Good morning / Good afternoon / Good Evening

This is the most common form of greeting in a formal situation and is appropriate to use anytime – with colleagues, business clients, formal relationships, new neighbors, etc.

Is Best wishes formal or informal? ›

It is acceptable to use “Best Wishes” in a formal context or even informal context as long as you are actually wishing your recipient the best in the future.

Can I say thank you and best regards? ›

Yep! It is perfectly acceptable to do so, though slightly uncommon. “Thank you” expresses gratitude, whereas “regards” is more of a 'best wishes' kind of thing.

What is better than best regards? ›

Formal alternatives to Best Regards include “Sincerely,” “Sincerely Yours,” “Yours Truly,” “Faithfully Yours,” “Respectfully Yours,” “With Sincere Appreciation,” and “With Gratitude.” On the other hand, some informal alternatives include “Best,” “Thanks,” “See you soon,” “Take care,” “Love,” “I miss you,” and “Hugs.” ...

How do you greet someone after a long chat? ›

Hey, how've you been? I haven't seen you in ages! I haven't seen/talked to you for so long! How long has it been since I last saw/talked to you?
...
End conversation with a plan
  1. We should catch up soon. When are you free next?
  2. We should get together. What do you think?
  3. We should get coffee soon. What is your schedule?
20 Apr 2020

How do you greet someone after a long time? ›

I hope you're doing well and that life is treating you kindly. I wanted to message you to see how things are going, because I'm really happy for your success! It's been a long time since I've seen you. How have you been?

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