Embrace Cultural Sensitivity with Japanese Phrasing

Japanese culture is the culture of respect. You don’t have to visit Japan to know that. We all heard about the famously politeJapanese bow and about the big emphasis Japanese people place on the respect of hierarchy in the family and etiquette in general. It’s in their DNA. And the same as its culture, theJapanese language is one of the most polite languages in the world. It’s true that, as a tourist, you don’t have to learn Japanese to perfection, but you know what they say: when in Rome, do as the Romans do and you will certainly increase the enjoyment of your adventure.

Learning as much as a simple Konnichiwa (“hello” in Japanese) or Arigato (“thank you” in Japanese) can work wonders. So here’s a guide to all theJapanese greetings you’ll need in your Japanese adventure: from“hello” in Japanese to**Moshi Moshi** (used to say “hello” on the phone), goodbye and othercommon Japanese greetings.

1. “Hello” in Japanese

If you ever watched at least one anime series, you probably already know this: “hello” in Japanese is_Konnichiwa_ . Rings any bell? It most probably does since**Konnichiwa** is undeniably the mostcommon Japanese greeting. Thanks to some of the most influential anime of all time such as Dragon Ball Z, Death Note, and Naruto, a lot of people living outside Japan know at least a few words in Japanese and_Konnichiwa_ is definitely one of them.

But back in the day, when Japanese people met, they would address each other with_konnichi wa gokiken ikaga desu ka?_ (“wow are you feeling today?”),konnichi wa ii hi desu ne (“today is a nice day”) or_kon’nichi wa ikaga desu ka_ (“how is today?”). Over time, these expressions became shorter and shorter until they ultimately transformed to the**Konnichiwa** we all use today to greet each other in Japanese.

Also, keep in mind that it’s usually only used during the daytime, between morning and evening.

When it comes to using it in various social contexts, you should know that**Konnichiwa** can be used safely in all kinds of situations (only between morning and evening; never early in the morning or late at night) except for those involving very close friends. It could be a little awkward to use**Konnichiwa** (こんにちは) when meeting your Japanese friends. In this situation, it’s better to use something a lot more informal than that, like:

• ossu – used exclusively between male friends and relatives around the same age. It’s similar to “hey dude” or “hey man” in English
• yaho – extremely informal, typically used by girls (boys more often say_yo_) but suitable for all the young people

“Kyoto, Japan” by Sorasak©

If you have to write“hello” in Japanese, there are two ways to do it (three if you also count in Romaji – the romanization of the Japanese writing system):

-usingKanji symbols: 今日は

– usingHiragana symbols: こんにちは

Curious about why there are multiple types of characters in Japanese? Here’s everything there is to know about the Japanese writing system .

How to say “hello” on the phone in Japanese: moshi moshi (もしもし)

Unlike English, which uses the same “hello” for a lot of different social contexts, the Japanese language has a dedicated “hello” for answering the phone:moshi moshi (もしもし). Doesn’t that sound cute?

2. Good morning in Japanese and other relevant greetings

Good morning in Japanese – O_hayō gozaimasu_ (おはよう ございます) is the best choice for greeting someone in the early morning hours (before 10:00 a.m.). Unlike_Konnichiwa_ , O_hayō gozaimasu_ a little more formal, so it’s safe to use it with people you don’t know or when you are meeting people in a position of authority (such as your boss or your teacher).

This greeting is used both as a “hello” and as a “goodbye”.

Good evening in Japanese – K_onbanwa_ (こんばんは) – is how you should greet people in the late afternoon or evening hours. The same as_Ohayō gozaimasu_ , K_onbanwa_ can be used both as a “hello” and as a “goodbye”.

If you are leaving, you can also say_Oyasumi nasai_ (おやすみなさい) to say “goodbye” in Japanese at night. But only when you leave as this Japanese phrase is not typically used as a greeting.

Good night in Japanese –Oyasuminasai (おやすみなさい) – is how you greet someone in Japanese if you are leaving at night. This Japanese phrase is not typically used as a greeting, so don’t forget you can’t use it when you meet someone.

Bonus tip: Morning and evening are more carefully delimited in the Japanese culture than in the West. So it’s important to know your**Konnichiwa** and never use it instead of**Konbanwa** or**Oyasuminasai.**

“Meguro River, Matsuno, Japan” by Sora Sagano©

3.“Goodbye” in Japanese

Another greeting we borrowed from the Japanese and sometimes use in our day-to-day conversations in English is**Sayōnara** (さよなら), a greeting that carries the connotation of farewell and translates to “goodbye”.

Sayōnara derived from_Sayō naraba_ (“If that’s the way it is”), a phrase that was originally used by people before leaving in a way that would sum up a conversation. Nowadays,Sayōnara is a semi-formal way to say“goodbye” in Japanese.

Although notorious abroad, Japanese people don’t really use_Sayonara._ For informal situations that involve close friends, they prefer using**bai bai** (ばいばい), which translates to – you guessed it – “bye bye” in English,jaa ne (じゃあね) which translates to “see you” or_saraba da_ (さらばだ) which is the equivalent of “adios!”.

Want more? Here are other ways to say goodbye in Japanese that are suitable for both formal and informal situations:

• I’ll see you later. – Mata aimashou. (また会いましょう。)
• Take care! – Ki wo tsukete! (きをつけて！)
• See you tomorrow! – M_ata ashita!_ (またあした！)
• See you soon! – Mata ne! (またね！)

“See you soon, human” by Alain Pham©

4. “Thank you” in Japanese and other polite phrases that you should know

We already settled that the Japanese culture is a culture of respect and politeness. Thus, learning to say“thank you” in Japanese is probably one of your most important tasks to complete before visiting Japan. Lucky for you, there’s nothing difficult about that.

The most casual and common way to say“thank you” in Japanese to your family and friends is**Arigatou** (ありがとう). Not “Arigato”. That’s actually a very common misconception about how to write “thank you” in Romaji.

Japanese people use**Arigatou** the same way we use“thanks” , but they also have an even shorter way to express their gratitude within a group of friends:Domo (どうも).Domo translates to “very much”.

Moving to a slightly formal form,Domo arigatou (どうもありがとう) is the equivalent of“thank you”. Careful though! This is not formal enough to be used with someone who is in a position of authority over you.

If you need a more formal way ofthanking someone in Japanese, you should use one of these expressions:

• Arigatou gozaimasu (ありがとうございます) – thank you very much
• Domo arigatou gozaimasu (どうもございまずいます) – an even more polite form for “thank you very much”
• Arigatou gozaimashita – suitable for when you want to thank someone for something that he or she did in the recent past
• Gochisou sama deshita – use this phrase if you want to thank for your meal. Furthermore, if you want to say that the meal is delicious, you say_Sore wa oishī desu_ (それはおいしいです) – “that’s delicious”.

If you want to continue the conversation and reply to someone thanking you, you can use these Japanese phrases :

• Dou itashi mashite (どういたしまして) – translates to “you’re welcome”
• Iie (いいえ) – instead of_Dou itashi mashite,_ you can say_Iie,_ which means “no” as in “it was nothing”.

“Kyoto, Japan” by Andre Benz©

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Don’t forget about the Japanese bow

Every“hello” in Japanese is usually accompanied by a bow, the Western world equivalent of a handshake. Our advice would be to not skip the bow if you really want to feel like you belong.

The Japanese bow is an essential part of the culture of respect and etiquette in Japan. When you meet someone, you say**Konnichiwa** and you bow as a sign of respect. If you receive a bow, you immediately bow back. A simple but powerful gesture that perfectly embodies the beauty of the Japanese culture.

So here are the main things you should know about theJapanese bow:

– bowing lower is a sign of respect. Thus, you should always bow lower to people you don’t know or to people in a position of authority;

– 15-degree bows are for people that you are familiar with;

– 30-degree bows are for people you just met or are of a higher social status than you;

– 45-degree bows are used for greetings only if you meet a very important person like the Emperor or the Prime Minister.

Bonus: basic conversation in Japanese

If you don’t want to stop at just“thank you” or “hello” in Japanese, here are a few moreJapanese phrases that are fairly easy to remember and will definitely make all the difference for your trip to Japan:

• Hello! How nice it is to see you! –Konnichiwa! Anata ni futatabi aete ureshī desu.
• How are you? – Genki?
• Fine, thanks. And you? – Genki desu, arigatō. Anata wa.
• Everything is fine. – Subete junchōdesu.
• What is your name? – Anata no namae wa nandesu ka.
• My name is Mondly. – Watashi no namae wa Mondly desu.
• I’m pleased to meet you. – Anata ni aete kōei desu.
• Nice to meet you – Oaidekite ureshīdesu.
• Where are you from? – Anata wa doko kara kimashita ka.
• I am from _____. Watashi wa _____ kara kimashita.
• Please. – Onegaishimasu.
• I’m sorry. – Gomen’nasai.
• Excuse me. – Sumimasen.
• No problem. – Daijōbudesu.

“Tenryu-ji Temple, Kyōto-shi, Japan” by Masaaki Komori©

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