How to Say “Good Evening” in Japanese

今晩は
konban wa[kõ̞mbã̠ɰ̃β̞a̠]
In Japanese, "good evening" is said as 今晩は (konban wa). Wiktionary also lists お晩です (o-ban desu).
Meaning: greeting said in the evening (intj)

Ways to say it

“good evening” in Japanese
Japanese Romanization (Wiktionary) IPA
今晩は konban wa [kõ̞mbã̠ɰ̃β̞a̠] (narrow)
お晩です o-ban desu

今晩は is the standard way to say good evening. It is typically used once the sun has set or in the early evening hours.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase literally translates to "as for this evening". The part 今晩 means "this evening" and は is a topic marker particle.

How does it change in a sentence?

In the written form of the greeting 今晩は, the particle は is written with the hiragana character は (ha) rather than わ (wa).

How do you pronounce it?

konban wa

Did you know?

  • Unlike 'good evening' in English, which is primarily a greeting, 今晩は is almost never used as a way to say goodbye at the end of the night.
  • In many Japanese households, once the sun has gone down, you might switch from 'good evening' to 'good work' (お疲れ様です) if someone has just returned home or finished a task.
  • The standard 'good evening' 今晩は is grammatically a fragment of a longer sentence, such as 'As for this evening, [it is a fine night]', which explains why it ends with a topic marker instead of an adjective.

Examples in context

  • Konbanwa, o-genki desu ka? (こんばんは、お元気ですか?)
    Good evening, how are you?
  • 今晩は、隣の田中です。
    Konbanwa, tonari no Tanaka desu.
    Good evening, I am Tanaka from next door.
  • 今晩は、よろしくお願いします。
    Konbanwa, yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
    Good evening, nice to meet you.

Example conversation

Hiyori and Daito meet by chance on the street at night.

  1. 陽葵 Himari

    大翔くん、今晩は!
    Daito-kun, konbanwa!
    Good evening, Daito!
  2. 大翔 Hiroto

    あ、陽葵さん。今晩は。
    A, Hiyori-san. Konbanwa.
    Oh, Hiyori. Good evening.
  3. 陽葵 Himari

    どこへ行くの?
    Doko e iku no?
    Where are you going?
  4. 大翔 Hiroto

    コンビニまで行きます。
    Konbini made ikimasu.
    I am going to the convenience store.

Sources

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Wendy Caroline
Wendy CarolineHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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