おやすみ
oyasumi
In Japanese, "gn" is an informal abbreviation for "good night," represented by the phrase おやすみ (oyasumi).
The phrase おやすみ is used specifically as a farewell when someone is going to sleep or retiring for the night.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
おやすみ is the informal version of the phrase used with friends and family. For a more polite way to say "good night," you should use おやすみなさい.
How do you pronounce it?
oyasumi
Did you know?
- While おやすみ is the standard farewell, Japanese people often use the word お疲れ様 ('you are tired') to end a workday, even if it is late at night and they are going home to sleep.
- In Japanese digital culture, people often use the Katakana version オヤスミ in text messages to give the phrase a more stylistic or 'cool' appearance.
- The polite form おやすみなさい adds the particle なさい, which is a command form, making the phrase literally closer to 'Please rest'.
Examples in context
- おやすみ。oyasumi.Good night.
- もう寝るね。おやすみ。mou neru ne. oyasumi.I'm going to sleep now. Good night.
- おやすみ、また明日。oyasumi, mata ashita.Good night, see you tomorrow.
Example conversation
Two friends are ending a late-night phone call.
- 美咲 Misakiそろそろ寝るね。sorosoro neru ne.I'm going to sleep soon.
- 陽太 Yotaうん、おやすみ。un, oyasumi.Yeah, good night.
- 美咲 Misakiおやすみ、陽太。oyasumi, Youta.Good night, Youta.
- 陽太 Yota美咲もおやすみ。Misaki mo oyasumi.Good night to you too, Misaki.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry おやすみ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
