おはよう、友達
ohayō, tomodachi
The English phrase "good morning friend" is translated into Japanese as おはよう、友達 (ohayō, tomodachi).
おはよう、友達 is a friendly greeting used to say hello to a friend in the morning. While tomodachi means friend, Japanese speakers rarely address a friend directly by the word tomodachi in a greeting. They are more likely to use the person's name.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase おはよう is the informal version of "good morning" used with friends and family, whereas the polite form of 'good morning' is おはようございます. The phrase お早うございます is a formal way to say "good morning". The phrase おっす is an informal slang variation of おはよう commonly used among male friends. The honorific さん is used at the end of names.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word おはよう is a contraction of hayai (early), literally meaning "it is early".
How do you pronounce it?
ohayō, tomodachi
When do people say it?
The greeting こんにちは means "hello" and can be used after 10 or 11 a.m.
Did you know?
- In some Japanese workplaces, employees say おはようございます to colleagues even if they meet for the first time that day at 8 p.m.
- In extremely casual settings, friends may shorten おはよう even further to just おはー, which is often associated with 'kawaii' or idol culture.
- The polite suffix さん is so essential that calling a friend by their name without it, or without a different nickname, can signal a very deep or very tense relationship.
Example conversation
Misaki and Ren meet up at school in the morning.
- 美咲 Misakiおはよう、友達！Ohayou, tomodachi!Good morning, friend!
- 蓮 Renおはよう、美咲。Ohayou, Misaki.Good morning, Misaki.
- 美咲 Misaki一緒に教室に行こうか。Issho ni kyoushitsu ni ikou ka.Shall we go to the classroom together?
- 蓮 Renうん、行こう。Un, ikou.Yeah, let's go.
