Japanese Informal Greetings: Say Hey and What's Up with Friends
Learn casual Japanese greetings like やあ, おーい, 元気？, and どう？ for friends and peers, and practice them at different times of day.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
In Japanese, greeting a close friend is not the same as greeting a teacher or a boss. Formal greetings like こんにちは (konnichiwa) are safe and polite, but they can sound distant or stiff between friends. This lesson teaches informal greetings for friends and peers: short, relaxed phrases such as やあ (yaa, 'hey'), おーい (ooi, 'hey' when calling someone), 元気？ (genki?, 'you good?'), and どう？ (dou?, 'what's up?'). You will also practice time-of-day casual greetings like おはよう (ohayou) and おつかれ (otsukare). The goal is not to replace polite Japanese, but to add a friendly register for people you already know well.
By the end, you can…
- greet a close friend informally in Japanese.
- choose a casual greeting that fits morning, daytime, evening, or a quick check-in.
- avoid using informal greetings with strangers, teachers, or workplace seniors.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
やあ。
Hey.
yaa
A short, friendly 'hey' used with close friends. It can feel slightly masculine or neutral depending on the speaker, and it is common in casual conversation.
おーい。
Hey! / Yoohoo!
ooi
Used to call someone's attention, especially when they are a little far away or not looking. It is casual and can sound playful, so avoid it in formal settings.
元気？
You good? / How are you?
genki?
A very common casual check-in. The question particle か is usually dropped in informal speech, so the rising intonation does the work.
どう？
What's up? / How's it going?
dou?
A relaxed 'how are things?' used with friends. It is vague and friendly, not a serious question about someone's health.
おつかれ。
Hey / You must be tired. (casual greeting)
otsukare
Short for おつかれさま. Friends and coworkers often use it as a light greeting when meeting or parting after work or effort. With seniors, use the fuller polite form.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
Informal greetings often drop particles and endings. 元気ですか (genki desu ka) becomes 元気？ (genki?). おはようございます (ohayou gozaimasu) becomes おはよう (ohayou). You can also add だ (da) or nothing at all: 今日も暑いね (kyou mo atsui ne, 'it's hot again today, huh'). The friendly particle ね (ne) invites agreement, and よ (yo) adds a light assertion. For example, やあ、元気？ (yaa, genki?) means 'Hey, you good?' and おーい、どう？ (ooi, dou?) means 'Hey, what's up?' Keep intonation rising for questions and falling for statements.
When to use it
Use these greetings with friends, classmates, siblings, and close peers. In the morning, おはよう (ohayou) is fine with friends; in the afternoon or evening, やあ (yaa), 元気？ (genki?), or どう？ (dou?) work well. After work or a shared task, おつかれ (otsukare) is common. Do not use やあ or おーい with a teacher, a boss, or a stranger. If you are unsure, use こんにちは (konnichiwa) or おはようございます (ohayou gozaimasu). Also note that おーい is for calling attention, not for starting a calm face-to-face chat.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
やあ、元気？
Hey, you good?yaa, genki?うん、元気。どう？
Yeah, I'm good. What's up?un, genki. dou?おーい、ちょっと来て。
Hey, come here a sec.ooi, chotto kite.おつかれ。今行く。
Hey, you must be tired. I'm coming now.otsukare. ima iku.A little context goes a long way
Japanese casual greetings are not just 'informal versions' of polite ones; they mark closeness and shared context. Using やあ or 元気？ with someone older or in a workplace can sound too familiar, so many learners keep polite forms until a Japanese friend or colleague uses casual speech with them first. Regional and generational differences also exist: おーい is widely understood, but some slang greetings are local or age-specific. When in doubt, mirror the other person's register.
One thing to watch for
Using やあ or 元気？ with a teacher, boss, or stranger because it means 'hello' in English.
Try this instead: Informal greetings are for close friends and peers. With a teacher or boss, use こんにちは (konnichiwa) or おはようございます (ohayou gozaimasu). For example, say こんにちは、先生 (konnichiwa, sensei) rather than やあ、先生.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1You meet a close friend in the afternoon. Give one informal greeting.
Show a sample answer
やあ、元気？ (yaa, genki?)
This works because やあ is a casual 'hey' and 元気？ is a friendly check-in. どう？ (dou?) or おーい (ooi) could also work if you are calling attention.
2You see your friend across the street and want to call them over. What do you say?
Show a sample answer
おーい。 (ooi.)
おーい is used to get someone's attention from a distance. It is casual, so it fits a friend, not a formal situation.
3You finish a shift with a coworker you are close to. Give a short casual greeting.
Show a sample answer
おつかれ。 (otsukare.)
おつかれ is a shortened casual form of おつかれさま. It fits after shared work or effort. With a senior coworker, use おつかれさまです instead.
Use やあ, おーい, 元気？, どう？, and おつかれ with friends and peers, and switch to こんにちは or おはようございます when the relationship is not close.
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