New to Japanese greetings?

 

 

You all have heard some major and typical Japanese greetings.  Konnichiwa (こんにちは) and Ohayo gozaimasu (おはよう　ございます) are one of the typical ones. Today, including these typical and easy greetings, I would like to introduce you to some of the other common Japanese greetings that you might not know yet.

How many of these do you know already?

 

おはようございます

Ohayo gozaimasu (Good morning)

You can simply say, Ohayo, as a bit more friendly version. Among friends and family, it’s typical to say just, Ohayo~(おはよう).

 

 

こんにちは

Konnichiwa (Hello)

There are not many people out there who does not know this Japanese word if you are a Japanese language learner. 🙂

 

 

ごめんください

Gomen kudasai (Are you there?)

After you ring a doorbell, it’s polite to say “Gomen kudasai” to see if someone is inside the house.  The person answering the door will respond by saying, “Yes, or ha-i (はーい)”.

 

 

おじゃまします

Ojama shimasu (Excuse me for bother you, sorry for disturbing you)

Once you are greeted at the door, before you actually enter the house after removing your shoes, it’s polite to say, Ojama shimasu. This literally means, “Sorry for disturbing you”.

If you are at the house greeting your visitor, then you would say “Do-zo (yes, please)” back to the person who is entering your house.

 

しつれいします

Shitsurei shimasu (Excuse me for bother you, sorry for disturbing you)

This greeting is very similar to the one above, except it is used in business places or for more formal occasion. When you are entering into any place other than someone’s house, this is what you need to say..  You can use at workplace when you are entering your manager’s office, or conference room etc. Also, it is polite to say this before sitting down on a chair when you have a formal business meeting.

 

 

よろしく　おねがいします

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu (Thank you for consideration.Nice to meet you. Thank you in advance. We ask for your kind cooperation.)

There are so many use of this greeting, actually. I should probably write a whole blog for this. 🙂 Typical uses are: when you meet someone for the first time. When someone is about to take care of your child, before you hand him her over to the person, you add this greeting. Also, you end your business emails/letters when you need to ask something in your note.

 

 

やあ！

Ya-! (Hey!)

This is a casual and friendly way of greeting someone. It is often used by boys and not so much by the rest of the population.

 

 

 

はじめまして

Hajime mashite (Nice to meet you. )

 

 

 

おせわになります

Osewani narimasu (Please take care of us(him, her))

When you meet someone who will be taking care of you or your family, this is the greeting you don’t want to forget. It is polite to say this to anyone who will be helping you before she/he does actual work to help you..

 

 

おっす！

Ossu! (Hey!)

Another casual way of saying hi. This expression is not used by girls or women at all other than when they are joking, but instead, it is often used by boys or men.

 

 

おまちどうさま

Omachido sama (Thank you for waiting.)

When you know you had to have your friend wait for you before your arrival, it is polite to say this when you finally get there. This one is a friendly and casual way of saying, thank you for waiting.

 

 

おまたせしました

Omatase shimashita (Thank you for waiting.)

This is a much more polite way of saying, “Thank you for waiting” to someone. When you are meeting with someone for business, or anyone who is older, or friends but if you don’t know the person well, this is what you would want to use.

 

 

こんばんは

Konbanwa (Good evening,)

 

 

どーも

Domo (Thanks!)

Friendly and casual way of saying, “Thanks”

 

 

ただいま

Tadaima (I am home)

When you get home, let your family know you are home.

 

 

おかえり

Okaeri (Welcome back)

Not only when you welcome your family back to your house, but also when you welcome your co-worker coming back from his/her vacation etc, this is also used.

 

 

おやすみなさい

Oyasumi nasai (Good night)

 

 

はあーい

Ha-i (Yes)

 

So how many of these did you already know? Are you comfortable using these Japanese greetings?