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How to say hi in Japanese

8 ways to say Hi in Japanese (Formal and Informal)

2020-07-12 by Taka

If you want to start a conversation in Japanese, you need to know how to greet in Japanese! Here are the most common ways to say Hi in Japanese in informal and formal ways. Words are very short and easy to memorize, so have fun learning and greeting!

Very casual

Here are some very casual words for greeting. Some of them are informal slang and you might be surprised to know how short the words are. If you have some close friends, it will be cool to communicate using them.

1.やあ (Yaa)

It is used casually between friends especially when you want to say like, “Hi, I’m here/I just got here”.

2.おす(Osu)

It is like saying “Hey!” . It is a slang to greet other guys so girls don’t use this word and guys don’t usually say it to girls.

3.どうも(Doumo)

Depending on the situation, the meaning of this word changes. It could mean hello, good-bye, thank you, very much, somehow, just.

・In greetings

A:やあ (Yaa)     B: やあ、どうも(Yaa, Doumo) 
(A:Hi.       B:Hi, how are you?)

A:お先に失礼します(Osakini shitsurei shimasu)     B:どうも(Doumo)
(A:I’m leaving ahead of you.   B:Good-bye)

・To say thanks

A:これ、どうぞ (Kore, Douzo)     B:あー、どうも(Ah, Doumo)
(A:This is for you. B:Ah,Thanks.)

・To say “Very”

A:遅れて、どうもすみません。   B:大丈夫です(Daijobu desu)
(A:I’m very sorry to be late. B:It’s OK)

A:親切にどうもありがとうございます。
(Shinsetsu ni doumo arigatougozaimasu) 
B:とんでもないです(Tondemo nai desu)
(A:Thank you very much for your kindness.   B:It’s nothing)

・Used with negative

どうも理解できません。(Doumo rikai dekimasen)
(I just can’t understand)

どうもあの人は気に入らない。(Doumo ano hito wa kiniiranai)
(I don’t like that person somehow)

4.よー/よっ(Yoo/Yo)

These are used to get someone’s attention and the meaning is the same as in English. It is common for guys to greet friends saying like this but some girls also use them. 

Casual

5.元気ですか?元気?(Genki desuka?/Genki?)

These are the most common ways to say “How are you?”.
If you just say “Genki?”, it gets more informal than saying “Genki desuka?”. They are used between friends or someone close to you, and not to your boss. To ask “How are things going?” ,we say
調子はどうですか? (Chousi wa dou desu ka).

元気ですか?/元気?
調子はどうですか?

Formal

6.おはようございます/おはよう
(Ohayou Gozaimasu/Ohayou)

7.こんにちは (Konnichiwa)

8.こんばんは(Konbanwa)

I think every Japanese learner knows these famous words. 
They are all formal and mean “Good morning/Good afternoon/Good evening”. People often say just “おはよう(Ohayou)” to greet a little more casually. The time when you use Konnichiwa and Konbanwa is different depending on the person. Some people use Konnichiwa at all times (Even in the morning) and Ohayou Gozaimasu in the evening. This is because the kind of job he/she has. If the person starts work very early, they feel that the morning time is afternoon. And if the person wakes up in the afternoon and starts working in the evening (like at a nightclub), evening time is morning for him/her.

In addition to those common words ahove, the phrase we use when starting a conversation on the phone is もしもし (Moshi moshi), meaning “Hello?(Are you there?)”, and we use お久しぶりです/久しぶり (Ohisashiburi desu/Hisashiburi) to say hello to someone you have not met for some time. 
It’s really fun to learn a different language, isn’t it?

もしもし
お久しぶりです/久しぶり

Thank you for reading today’s post. 
See you next time!
Taka

*I’m a professional composer by the way.
You can listen/download my music below.

Filed Under: Learn Japanese Tagged With: How to say hi in Japanese, how to say hi in japanese casual, how to say hi in japanese formal, how to say hi in japanese informal, how to say hi in japanese language, study japanese, 日本語, 日本語の勉強

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Taka/原貴浩

Taka吉祥寺出身の元大手英会話学校教務主任、作曲家、コンテンツ開発/編集者。高校生の時に出会ったアメリカ人の英語の先生がきっかけで英語や海外文化に興味を持つようになり、18歳で単身アメリカのフロリダ州へ音楽留学、主席で卒業。帰国後は舞台や楽曲制作などエンタメ業界に関わりながら長年英会話の講師として務め、英語関連の書籍や音声/動画コンテンツの制作、編集なども行っている。コロナ禍前に岐阜県の高山に移住し、同市の英語講師、通訳案内士やゲストハウスの立ち上げを行いながら、外国人移住者と地域住民との架け橋となる多文化共生支援団体、Family Planet Japanの代表としても活動。英語や音楽を通した人とのつながり作りや、まちづくりにも精力的に関わっている。 Introduction

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