Japanese Greeting (2024)

FAQs

How do you respond to a Japanese greeting? ›

When someone greets you in Japanese with “Konnichiwa” it is best to respond with the same phrase “Konnichiwa”. Even though it means “Good afternoon” or “Hello” and is usually used around noon or in the afternoon, it is common to…

There's no need to say it, for example, to someone entering your house, although you could say the less formal irasshai (いらっしゃい) to an arriving house guest. And when you hear irasshaimase? The correct response is not to respond except with a polite nod of acknowledgement.

When somebody said to you HAJIMEMAsh*tE, you also say, HAJIMEMAsh*tE.

It could be replied with a simple “Ohayou” or “Daijobudesu”. The first word means good morning as well, and the second phrase means “I am good” in Japanese. Learning these basic greetings is important and helpful when visiting Japan for the first time.

FAQ: What is the reply to arigatou? If you take Japanese lessons, you'll probably learn that the proper response to arigatou is do itashimash*te (どういたしまして), meaning “you're welcome.”

If you'd like to respond yes or no, you can begin by saying “Arigatou gozaimasu” (thank you) to show appreciation first. Then, if you'd like to decline the offer, you continue with “demo, daijobu desu” (I'm ok). There are more polite ways to say, such as “enryo itashimasu” or “go-enryo sasete itadakimasu”.

Japanese people are accustomed to bowing as a form of greeting. Walking around the streets, you'll probably notice people nodding spontaneously while talking on the phone and businesspeople or even train conductors taking long deep bows as a formalized show of respect.

“You're welcome” in Japanese

If you want to respond to a phrase like "doumo arigatou gozaimasu" with "you're welcome," you would say "dou itashimash*te." However, there are many different ways to accept someone's expression of gratitude.

Youkoso and irasshaimase both mean "welcome", but youkoso is used in the sense of "welcome to our country" (ex. Nihon e youkoso/Welcome to Japan) while irasshaimase has more of a sense of "come in", so you'll hear it used for customers and guests in stores, restaurants, hotels, and even homes.

How do I reply to onegaishimasu? ›

If the person is saying "onegaishimasu" meaning "(I have told you my request so) please do it." then it's appropriate to reply "hai, wakarimash*ta." meaning "Yes, I understand (so you can count on me to do it.)"

Hai, genki desu means “Yes, I'm fine,” said in response to someone asking how you are. To return the question, ask them o-genki desu ka, meaning “Are you well?”

Moshi Moshi is an informal telephone greeting in Japan that literally translates to “I speak, I speak”, or “I say, I say”.

After that you would use “konichiwa.” You would answer with the same word that the other person greeted you with.

If you want to know how to say “hello” in Japanese, konnichiwa is the first word to learn. It's one of the best-known Japanese greetings and is normally used when talking to someone face-to-face in the afternoon. It's also relatively formal, so it's fine to use with people you don't know well.

The most common phrases when greeting someone familiar is “Ohayō gozaimasu” (Good morning), “Konnichiwa” ('Hello' or 'Good day'), and “Konbanwa” ('Good evening').

As a rule of thumb, in Japanese business life, the surname name is always followed by the honorific suffix “san” (meaning “dear” or actually “honorable Mr/Ms.”). There are of course many other options such as “sama” (highly revered customer or company manager) or “sensei” (Dr. or professor).