Basic Japanese Greetings and Phrases for Beginners (With Pronunciation)

2026/05/24

Learning Japanese can feel overwhelming at first, but basic greetings in Japanese follow a clear logic, easy to memorize. 

This guide covers everything a beginner needs: the right Japanese greetings and phrases for the right moment, how to pronounce them, and how to leave a conversation gracefully. 

Basic Japanese Greetings Depending on the Time of Day

Basic greetings in Japanese change with the time of day, there’s no single word for “hello” that works around the clock. Here’s the core trio every beginner needs.

Good Morning / Ohayo in Japanese

Japanese	Romaji	English	Audio
おはよう	Ohayō	Good morning (casual)	🔊
おはようございます	Ohayō gozaimasu	Good morning (formal)	🔊

Use Ohayō with friends and family, but it can sound too casual with strangers. For people you don’t know well or anyone outside a close circle, switch to Ohayō gozaimasu.

Use it until around 10-11 AM. In some workplaces, it’s also used any time you clock in or greet someone for the first time that day, regardless of the hour. 

Good Afternoon in Japanese : How to Say Konnichiwa

Japanese	Romaji	English	Audio
こんにちは	Konnichiwa	Hello / Good afternoon	🔊

Use Konnichiwa from late morning (around 11 AM) until around 5-6 PM. It works in both formal and casual contexts, which makes it the safest all-purpose daytime greeting in Japanese. When someone says Konnichiwa to you, simply mirror it back,  it’s perfectly natural and expected.

Japanese for Good Evening

Japanese	Romaji	English	Audio
こんばんは	Konbanwa	Good evening	🔊
おやすみなさい	Oyasumi nasai	Good night (formal)	🔊
おやすみ	Oyasumi	Good night (casual)	🔊

Japanese for good evening is Konbanwa, used after sunset. It’s more formal in feel than Konnichiwa, most native speakers don’t use it with close friends. 

Oyasumi nasai is said when someone is heading to bed or leaving late at night. You can also say it at the end of a night-time phone call. Drop the nasai with family or close friends.

How to Say Hello in Japanese

Beyond the basic Japanese greetings, here are a few situational options worth knowing:

Japanese	Romaji	English	When to use	Audio
もしもし	Moshi moshi	Hello?	Phone calls only	🔊
やあ	Yā	Hi	Very casual, close friends	🔊
おっす	Ossu	Hey	Casual, mostly used between men	🔊
いらっしゃいませ	Irasshaimase	Welcome	Said by staff in shops/restaurants — no response needed	🔊

How to say hello in Japanese really comes down to context. For most everyday situations, Konnichiwa remains your safe bet. The casual options (Yā, Ossu) are strictly for people you know well.

Basic Japanese Greetings and Phrases When You’re Leaving

Basic Japanese greetings and phrases when you’re leaving are more nuanced than they look. The right phrase depends on context, relationship, and whether you expect to see the person again.

Japanese	Romaji	English	Context	Audio
またね	Mata ne	See you later	Casual, everyday	🔊
また明日	Mata ashita	See you tomorrow	When you know you’ll meet tomorrow	🔊
また来週	Mata raishū	See you next week	When you know it’s next week	🔊
バイバイ	Baibai	Bye-bye	Very casual, younger speakers	🔊
行ってきます	Ittekimasu	I’m heading out (and I’ll be back)	When leaving home or the office	🔊
行ってらっしゃい	Itterasshai	Go and come back safely	Response to Ittekimasu, said by those who stay	🔊
気をつけて	Ki o tsukete	Take care / Be safe	When someone is heading somewhere	🔊

さようなら is far less common in daily life than textbooks suggest. It carries a connotation of long-term or even permanent separation. Save it for formal farewells or significant transitions. 

Among all these options, じゃあね is the one you’ll hear most between friends. It means something close to “well then, see ya”, light, friendly, and used constantly after school, leaving a friend’s place, or at the end of a casual call.

For a full breakdown of goodbye phrases and how to use them naturally, this guide on how to say goodbye in Japanese goes deep on every context.

Greetings in Japanese on the Phone

Greetings in Japanese on the phone work differently from face-to-face ones and it trips up a lot of beginners.

Japanese	Romaji	English	Audio
もしもし	Moshi moshi	Hello? (phone, casual)	🔊
はい、〇〇です	Hai, [name] desu	Yes, this is [name] (formal)	🔊

The phrase もしもし (Moshi moshi) comes from the verb mōsu (申す), a humble form of “to speak.” It evolved into the standard phone opener for casual calls, with friends or family only. 

For business calls, answer with Hai followed by your company name and your own name. 

For more on professional phone etiquette in Japanese, see this guide to Japanese business greetings.

Japanese Phrases for Apologies

Japanese phrases for apologies are deeply embedded in everyday conversation, they signal social awareness, not just regret. The right word depends heavily on context.

Japanese	Romaji	English	Level	Audio
すみません	Sumimasen	Excuse me / Sorry / Thank you	Versatile, polite	🔊
ごめんなさい	Gomen nasai	I’m sorry	Casual/personal	🔊
ごめん	Gomen	Sorry	Very casual, close circle only	🔊
申し訳ありません	Mōshiwake arimasen	I sincerely apologize	Formal	🔊

The Japanese for “I’m sorry” in its most versatile form is Sumimasen, the single most useful word for beginners. It works as “excuse me” to get someone’s attention, “sorry” after a minor bump, and even a soft “thank you” when someone goes out of their way for you. 

Gomen nasai is more personal and emotional,  appropriate with close friends or family, but too casual and even childish-sounding in formal or public situations. 

For a full breakdown of how to use these expressions like a native, this guide on how to say excuse me in Japanese covers every nuance.

When you’re late, here’s what to say:

Japanese	Romaji	English	Audio
遅れてすみません	Okurete sumimasen	Sorry I’m late	🔊
お待たせしました	Omatase shimashita	Sorry to have kept you waiting	🔊

Omatase shimashita is the more elegant option,  instead of centering your own fault, it acknowledges the inconvenience to the other person. Very Japanese in spirit.

Formal vs. Informal Japanese Greetings

Formal vs. informal Japanese greetings are governed by keigo (敬語), the built-in politeness system that affects greetings, verb endings, and vocabulary. Here’s a quick map for beginners:

Situation	Register	Examples
Friends, family, peers	Casual (tame-guchi)	Ohayō, Mata ne, Jā ne, Gomen
Strangers, elders	Polite (-masu / -desu)	Ohayō gozaimasu, Sumimasen
Work, business	Formal (keigo)	Otsukaresama desu, Mōshiwake arimasen

When in doubt, go formal. Being too formal is almost never offensive but being too casual with the wrong person can cause real awkwardness.

How to Politely Greet in Japanese

To politely greet in Japanese when meeting someone for the first time, follow this standard sequence:

• はじめまして (Hajimemashite) :  “Nice to meet you”,  said before introductions, not after
• Your name
• どうぞよろしくお願いします (Dōzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu) : “I look forward to our relationship”

The response is こちらこそよろしくお願いします (Kochira koso yoroshiku onegaishimasu), “Likewise.” This sequence is standard in both social and professional settings and signals that you understand Japanese etiquette.

Other Common Japanese Words and Phrases

Other common Japanese words and phrases you’ll need go beyond greetings, they’re the glue of everyday conversation.

The phrase 元気ですか (Genki desu ka) means “how are you?” but unlike its English equivalent, it’s a genuine question, not a formality. A simple Genki desu with a smile is the natural response when you’re doing fine. With close friends, shorten it to just Genki?

Japanese	Romaji	English	Audio
お元気ですか？	O-genki desu ka?	How are you? (formal)	🔊
元気？	Genki?	How are you? (casual)	🔊
元気です！	Genki desu!	I’m well!	🔊
まあまあです	Mā mā desu	So-so	🔊

When someone thanks you with Arigato, the textbook answer is Dō itashimashite but native speakers rarely use it. It can sound overly formal or even slightly arrogant in casual contexts. In practice, Iie iie (“not at all”) or Kochira koso (“thank you too”) are far more natural responses.

Japanese	Romaji	English	Audio
いいえ、いいえ	Iie, iie	Not at all	🔊
こちらこそ	Kochira koso	Thank you too / Likewise	🔊
どういたしまして	Dō itashimashite	You’re welcome (textbook)	🔊

Is It Worth Taking an Online Course for Basic Japanese Greetings?

For travel, confidence with basic Japanese greetings and phrases is enough, no course needed. Japanese people genuinely appreciate any effort, however imperfect.

For long-term or business Japanese, it’s a different story. Self-study apps can only take you so far. The real leap comes when you build structured foundations rather than just memorizing isolated phrases. That’s where having a teacher makes a genuine difference.

Nihongo Online School offers exactly that. Our Minna no Nihongo Shokyu 1 curriculum is built for complete beginners targeting JLPT N5, covering all four skills through 25 structured lesson topics, from basic Japanese greetings and self-introductions to expressing opinions and giving directions. For business Japanese greetings specifically, we also offer dedicated programs from lower intermediate to advanced, covering keigo, client communication, and job interviews at Japanese companies.