Japanese Greetings and Goodbyes: When to Use Each Phrase

A greeting in Japanese can do more than open a conversation. It can acknowledge the hour, the place, the distance between two people, or the small ritual of someone leaving home. That is why a phrase that looks like a plain “hello” in a phrasebook can feel warm in one moment and slightly off in another.

You do not need to memorize every variation at once. Start with the expressions below, notice who is speaking to whom, and let the situation guide you. Polite forms are a safe starting point when you are unsure; casual shortcuts make more sense once the relationship is clear.

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Common Japanese greetings and goodbyes

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning and typical use
挨拶	Aisatsu	Greetings or salutations.
おはようございます	Ohayō gozaimasu	Good morning; polite.
おはよう	Ohayō	Good morning; casual, for people you know well.
こんにちは	Konnichiwa	Hello; commonly used from late morning through the afternoon.
こんばんは	Konbanwa	Good evening.
おやすみなさい	Oyasuminasai	Good night; a farewell before sleep.
ようこそ	Yōkoso	Welcome.
どうも	Dōmo	A flexible casual expression that can mean thanks, hello, or excuse me depending on the moment.
じゃあね / またね	Jā ne / Mata ne	Bye / See you later; casual.
いらっしゃいませ	Irasshaimase	Welcome; the greeting staff use for customers in shops and restaurants.
ごめんください	Gomen kudasai	May I come in? A call used when entering or visiting someone’s home.
よろしくお願いします	Yoroshiku onegaishimasu	A flexible polite phrase used after an introduction or when asking someone to take care of a matter.
お帰りなさい	Okaeri nasai	Welcome back home.
さようなら	Sayōnara	Goodbye; it can sound more final than a casual see-you-later.
さらば	Saraba	A dramatic or old-fashioned farewell, more familiar from stories than daily conversation.
行ってきます	Ittekimasu	I’m off / I’ll go and come back; said when leaving home.
行ってらっしゃい	Itterasshai	Take care; the reply to someone leaving home.
気をつけて	Ki o tsukete	Take care, especially when you want someone to stay safe.

What changes the phrase you choose?

Time matters. Ohayō gozaimasu belongs to the morning, konnichiwa is the familiar daytime greeting, and konbanwa arrives in the evening. The shorter ohayō is natural with friends and family, while the full form keeps a respectful distance with a teacher, colleague, or new acquaintance.

Place matters too. At home, ittekimasu and itterasshai form a small exchange: one person leaves, the other wishes them a safe return. In a shop, irasshaimase comes from the staff, not from the customer. At work, otsukaresama desu is often used to acknowledge someone’s effort and can work as both a greeting and a farewell.

Phone calls follow their own habits. Moshi moshi is casual and fits calls with friends or family. In a formal call, it is more natural to answer with hai and your name. When meeting someone for the first time, hajimemashite opens the introduction, often followed by your name and yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Small notes that make a big difference

• Dōmo changes with tone and context. It may be a quick thank-you, a light greeting, or part of a longer expression. For a closer look, see what dōmo can mean in Japanese.
• Yoroshiku onegaishimasu has no single English equivalent. It carries the sense of asking for goodwill or cooperation, which is why it appears after introductions and requests.
• Sayōnara is correct, but it is not the automatic choice for every ordinary parting. With friends, jā ne or mata ne often sounds lighter; when you know the next meeting, mata ashita means “see you tomorrow.”
• Oyasuminasai is for bedtime, not a general evening greeting. Use konbanwa when you meet someone at night and oyasuminasai when you leave for sleep.

Turn the list into real conversation

Pronunciation and writing become easier when the phrases are connected to situations you can picture: leaving the house, entering a shop, calling a friend, or meeting someone for the first time. The politeness behind many of these choices also connects to keigo and formality in Japanese.

Once the greetings feel familiar, build outward with different ways to say thank you, Japanese apology expressions, and more ways to say goodbye. A few phrases used in the right moment will carry you farther than a long list repeated without context.