こんばんは、愛する人
Konbanwa, aisuru hito
The English phrase "good evening, my love" is translated into Japanese as こんばんは、愛する人 (Konbanwa, aisuru hito).
This phrase is a romantic greeting used to address a partner or spouse during the evening. While it is grammatically correct, it sounds highly literary or dramatic and is rarely used in spontaneous spoken Japanese between partners.
How do you pronounce it?
Konbanwa, aisuru hito
Did you know?
- Japanese has a concept called amae (甘え) which describes a type of indulgent, dependent love. This feeling is often conveyed through tone and context rather than explicit phrases like 'my love'.
- In Japan, the most common way to express 'I love you' is actually 好きです (suki desu), which literally translates to 'I like you'. The word for 'love' is often considered too heavy for everyday use.
- The word こんばんは (konbanwa) contains a 'wa' sound written with the character は (ha). This is because it was originally the start of a longer sentence meaning 'As for this evening…', which was eventually shortened.
Example conversation
Youta arrives home and greets Misaki in the living room.
- 陽太 Yotaこんばんは、愛する人。ただいま戻ったよ。konbanwa, aisuru hito. tadaima modotta yo.Good evening, my love. I'm home.
- 美咲 Misakiおかえりなさい。お疲れ様でした。okaerinasai. otsukaresama deshita.Welcome back. You must be tired.
- 陽太 Yota君の顔が見られて、疲れが吹き飛んだよ。kimi no kao ga mirarete, tsukare ga fukitonda yo.Seeing your face makes all my tiredness disappear.
- 美咲 Misakiふふっ、嬉しいわ。お茶を淹れるね。fufu, ureshii wa. ocha o ireru ne.Hehe, I'm happy. I'll make some tea.
