おはよう
ohayō[o̞ha̠jo̞ː]
To say "good morning back" in Japanese, use おはよう (ohayō).
This phrase is used as a response to someone who has greeted you with a morning greeting.
How do you pronounce it?
ohayō
Did you know?
- In many Japanese workplaces, colleagues will say おはよう to one another even if it is actually afternoon or evening. This is because the phrase functions as a greeting for the first time you encounter someone during a workday, rather than a reference to the sunrise.
- The phrase おはよう is actually a frozen piece of grammar from the past. While most modern Japanese adverbs end in -ku, this expression uses a rare -u ending that has survived since the Muromachi period.
- The word 'early' is hidden inside this greeting. Historically, you were not just saying 'good morning', but were literally complimenting the listener on being 'early' or 'prompt'.
Examples in context
- おはよう。ohayou.Good morning.
- おはよう、今日も暑いね。ohayou, kyou mo atsui ne.Good morning, it is hot today too.
Example conversation
Two neighbors passing each other in the morning.
- 大翔 Hirotoおはよう、美咲さん。ohayou, misaki-san.Good morning, Misaki.
- 美咲 Misakiおはよう、大翔さん。ohayou, hiroto-san.Good morning, Hiroto.
- 大翔 Hiroto今日はいい天気ですね。kyou wa ii tenki desu ne.The weather is nice today.
- 美咲 Misakiそうですね。sou desu ne.It is, isn't it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry おはよう, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries おはよう, CC BY-SA 4.0.
