Say hello and goodbye in Japanese
Learn to greet and say goodbye in Japanese with こんにちは, おはようございます, こんばんは, and さようなら. Master polite and casual forms for friends, elders, and staff.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
The direct answer: to say hello in Japanese, use こんにちは (konnichiwa) during the day. For a polite hello, こんにちは works in most situations, but in the morning say おはようございます (ohayō gozaimasu) and in the evening こんばんは (konbanwa). To say goodbye, さようなら (sayōnara) is standard but can sound final; among friends, じゃあね (jā ne) or またね (mata ne) is more natural. This lesson gives you the core phrases and patterns to greet and part politely or casually.
By the end, you can…
- greet someone appropriately based on time of day and formality.
- say goodbye in both polite and casual situations.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
こんにちは
Hello / Good afternoon
kon-nee-chee-wah
Common daytime greeting. Choose greetings for the time of day and the setting rather than assuming one fits every encounter.
おはようございます
Good morning (polite)
oh-hah-yoh go-zah-ee-mahs
A polite morning greeting. There is no universal 10 or 11 a.m. cutoff; routines and settings can affect usage. The shorter おはよう is casual.
こんばんは
Good evening
kon-bahn-wah
A common evening greeting. The transition from daytime to evening greeting depends on the context, not a strict sunset rule.
さようなら
Goodbye
sah-yoh-nah-rah
A farewell used in some settings, including between students and teachers, and sometimes for a longer or final parting. It is not a universal polite exit phrase. Friends often use じゃあね or またね.
すみません、こんにちは。
Excuse me, hello.
soo-mee-mah-sen, kon-nee-chee-wah
Use to politely get a staff member's attention before asking a question.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
Japanese greetings often change with the time of day. The core pattern is: おはようございます (morning, polite), こんにちは (daytime, neutral-polite), こんばんは (evening, neutral-polite). For farewells, さようなら is polite but can sound formal or final; じゃあね (jā ne) and またね (mata ne) are common casual goodbyes. To politely get attention, start with すみません, then greet: すみません、こんにちは。
When to use it
Use おはようございます as a polite morning greeting, こんにちは as a daytime greeting, and こんばんは in the evening. These are ordinary patterns, not strict clock boundaries. Farewells depend on the relationship and setting. さようなら is used in some school settings and can also suggest a longer or final separation; it is not the default polite goodbye for every shop or workplace. With friends, じゃあね or またね can be natural. Listen to how people part in your setting rather than treating one farewell as universally safe.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
すみません、こんにちは。
Excuse me, hello.soo-mee-mah-sen, kon-nee-chee-wahこんにちは。いらっしゃいませ。
Hello. Welcome.kon-nee-chee-wah. ee-rah-shah-ee-mah-sehおはようございます。今日はよろしくお願いします。
Good morning. I look forward to working with you today.oh-hah-yoh go-zah-ee-mahs. kyoh wah yoh-roh-shee-koo oh-neh-gah-ee-shee-mahsおはようございます。こちらこそ、よろしくお願いします。
Good morning. Likewise, I look forward to working with you.oh-hah-yoh go-zah-ee-mahs. koh-chee-rah koh-soh, yoh-roh-shee-koo oh-neh-gah-ee-shee-mahsA little context goes a long way
Japanese greetings are closely tied to social context. Using おはようございます with a close friend in the afternoon can sound joking or odd; こんにちは is safer. さようなら can feel final, so many people say じゃあね or またね in casual partings. Bowing while greeting is common and shows respect, but the depth varies by situation.
One thing to watch for
Assuming さようなら is the safest polite goodbye in every situation.
Try this instead: Choose a farewell for the relationship and setting. さようなら is used in some school settings and can suggest a longer or final separation; it is not the universal polite choice when leaving a shop or workplace. With friends, the casual forms じゃあね and またね are common.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1It is 8 a.m. You meet your teacher. What do you say?
Show a sample answer
おはようございます。
This is the polite morning greeting. おはよう is also correct in casual settings, but with a teacher, the polite form is appropriate.
2You are leaving a friend's house in the evening. What is a natural casual goodbye?
Show a sample answer
じゃあね。
じゃあね is a common casual goodbye among friends. またね is also correct. さようなら is polite but can sound too formal or final for close friends.
3You want to politely get a staff member's attention and say hello. What do you say?
Show a sample answer
すみません、こんにちは。
すみません politely gets attention, and こんにちは is a safe daytime greeting. You could also say すみません alone, but adding the greeting is friendly.
Match ordinary greetings to morning, daytime or evening, allowing for the setting. Choose farewells by relationship and situation: さようなら is not a universal polite exit phrase, while じゃあね and またね are common casual choices with friends.
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