50 Ways to Say “Hi” and “Hello” in Japanese

If you're learning Japanese or planning to visit Japan soon, it's helpful to know how to greet people. In this article, we'll explore the different ways to say "hi" and "hello" in Japanese and how to use them correctly.

Japan is an ancient country with more than 47 prefectures, each of which has its own culture and dialect. In addition, Japan has a formal and respectful language. This makes it possible for there to be thousands of ways to greet each other in Japanese. In this article you will discover 40 ways to say oi or Hello In japanese.

Let's start with the most common ways to say hi in Japanese. The greetings that we are going to see below are used in everyday life when meeting a person. We will not go into detail on expressions such as good afternoon and good evening.

We also recommend reading: Greetings and Farewells in Japanese

How to say hi and hello in Japanese?

Below are the main ways to say hello in Japanese:

こんにちは (Konnichiwa)

"Konnichiwa" is the most common form of greeting in Japanese, which can be used at any time of the day. This word is a combination of two Japanese words: "Konnichi" which means "today" and "wa" which is a particle that indicates the end of the sentence.

Together, "Konnichiwa" means "hello" or "good afternoon". It is appropriate to use "Konnichiwa" when meeting someone for the first time or when you meet friends, colleagues or acquaintances on different occasions.

We recommend reading: Konnichiwa – Good Afternoon in Japanese – Origin and Meaning

Good morning

"Ohayou" is used to say "good morning" in Japanese. It is usually used until lunchtime. It's a casual form of greeting, suitable for friends, family, or coworkers you know well. It is important to note that the "o" in "Ohayou" is an honorific particle that is added to express respect for the person you are speaking to.

We recommend reading: What is the meaning of Ohayou Gozaimasu?

Konbanwa

"Konbanwa" is used to say "good night" in Japanese. It is usually used after dinner or when meeting someone in the evening. It is a casual form of greeting, but can be used in more formal contexts, such as business meetings. As with "Konnichiwa", the particle "wa" is added at the end to indicate the end of the phrase.

おっす (Ossu)

“Ossu” is a casual form of greeting that is often used between male friends or colleagues. It's important to note that "Ossu" can be considered a bit rude or aggressive in some situations, and it's best only used with people you know well.

How are you?

"Ogenki desu ka" is a formal Japanese greeting that means "how are you?" or "how are you?". It's a polite way to start a conversation and shows that you care about the other person's well-being. "Ogenki" means "well-being" or "health", while "desu ka" is a formal expression used to ask questions in Japanese.

Hello

"Moshi moshi" is mostly used when you answer the phone in Japanese. It is a form of casual greeting, which can be translated as "hello" or "hi". It is also used in informal contexts, such as when you meet friends or family in a public place.

Read also: Why do Japanese people use Moshi Moshi when talking on the phone?

Other ways to say hello in Japanese

In addition to the main ones mentioned, other forms of greeting in Japanese are:

  • 1 - Good morning - おはようございます - Good morning - formal;
  • 2 - Good morning - おはよう - Good morning - informal;
  • 3 - Kon'nichiwa - こんにちは - Good afternoon / Hello;
  • 4 - Konbanwa - こんばんは - Good night (when meeting);
  • 5 - Moshi moshi - もしもし - Hello on the phone;
  • 6 - Ossu - おっす - Used between close male friends;
  • 7 - I - よぉ! - A super casual hello worn by young people;
  • 8 - Yahho! - やっほ~ - A cute way to say hello, used by girls;
  • 9 - Yah! - やぁ! - Similar to the expression yo;
  • 10 - I'm home! - ただいま! - I'm back - Used only when arriving home or somewhere;
  • 11 - recently how? - 最近どう - What's new? How has it been lately? (informal);
  • 12 - Long time no see - お久しぶり - How long has it been? Some directly say so;
  • 13 - How are you? - お元気ですか? - All good? How are you? Can be used directly;
  • 14 - I give yo - どうよ? - How's it going? - Do not say this during an action, as it may refer to it;
  • 15 - Hey - おーい – Equivalent to Hey, used a lot when shouting at someone from a distance;
  • 16 - Doumo - どうも - A way of saying thank you, but also means hello or goodbye;
  • 17 - Otsukare - お疲れ – A way of saying thank you for your work, but it can be a compliment when you haven't seen your co-worker at the end of the day;
  • 18 - Maid - 毎度 – A way to say welcome to my store (Kansai) or thank you for coming (maido ari);
  • 19 - Welcome - いらっしゃい - Welcome - Greeting used by shopkeepers;
  • 20 - Dore Dore - どれどれ - An expression that means "What do we have here?", but loosely used as hello;
40 greetings - good morning, hello, and hi in Japanese
40 greetings - good morning, hello, and hi in Japanese

Hi and Hello in Japanese dialects

  • Haisai - ハイサイ - Hi and Hello in the Ryuukyuu and Okinawa dialect;
  • Niihaou - ニーハオ - Equivalent to Hello in Chinese;
  • Haroo - ハロー - Equivalent to Hello in English;
  • Uissu - ういっす - An alternative way of saying ossu;
  • Hayaina - はやいな(も) – A way of saying ohayou in the dialect of Mie, Wakayama and Aichi;
  • Haeno - はえのー - Good morning in Miyazaki dialect;
  • Chuusu - チュース – Popular in the 90s, adaptation of the word Tschuss from the German language;
  • Onroo - おんろー - Hello from the Tsugaru dialect;
  • Eetenkidee - ええてんきでぇ~ - Fukui dialect fulfillment
  • Tasshanaka - たっしゃなか - Fulfillment of the Wakayama dialect;
  • Haenou - はえのう - Fulfillment of Miyazaki dialect;
  • Chiwa - ちわっ – Abbreviation of konnichiwa, used by men, gives an idea of hey;
  • Chiwassu! - Chiwassu! ちわっす! - Alternative to Chiwa, used by men;
  • Chuu wuganabira - 今日拝なびら - Hello in Okinawan dialect;
  • Haitai - はいたい - Hello in Okinawan dialect used by women;
  • Ukimisoochii - 起きみそーちー - Good morning in Okinawan dialect;
  • Ohayousan - Good morning - おはようさん - Good morning in Kansai region and dialect;
  • Ohayou gozaimasu - Good morning おはよがんす - Good morning in Iwate dialect;
  • Koncha - こんちゃ - Short for konnichiwa;
  • ncha - んちゃ - Another abbreviation of konnichiwa;

Ohayou in the 48 regions of Japan

Hokkaidoおはよー
Aomoriおはよーごし
Iwateおはよがんす
Miyagiおはよー
Akitaおはよー
Yamagataはやえなっす
Fukushimaはやえなっす
Ibarakiおはよー
Tochigiおはよー
Gunmaおはよー
Saitamaおはよー
Chibaおはよー
Tokyoおはよー
Kanagawaおはよー
Niigataおはよー
Toyamaおはよー
Ishikawaおはよー
Fukuiおはよさん
Yamanashiおはよーごいす
Naganoおはよーござんす
Gifuおはよー
Shizuokaいあんばいです
Aichiはやいなも
Tripleはやいなー
Shigaおはよーさん
Kyotoおはよーさん
Osakaおはよーさん
Hyogoおはよーさん
Naraおはよーさん
Wakayamaはやいのー
Tottoriおはよーござんす
Shimaneおはよ
okamaおはよー
Hiroshimaおはよーがんす
Yamaguchiおはよーごぁんす
Tokushimaおはよーがーす
Kagawaおはよーござんす
Ehimeおはよー
Kochiおはよー
Fukuokaおはよーござす
Sagaおはよーござんした
Nagasakiおはよー
Kumamotoおはよーござるます
octaおはよー
Miyazakiはえのー
Kagoshimaこんちゃらごあす
Okinawaっうきみそーちー

The English video below shows 10 ways to say hi and say hello:

I hope you enjoyed this article. Do you know another different way to say hi, hello or good morning in Japanese? We appreciate the comments and shares. We also recommend reading:

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