おはよう
ohayō[o̞ha̠jo̞ː]
The Japanese phrase for "good morning to a friend" is おはよう (ohayō).
おはよう is an informal greeting used in the morning when speaking to a friend or a family member.
How do you pronounce it?
ohayō
Did you know?
- In many Japanese workplaces, colleagues use おはよう regardless of the actual time of day. It is often used as a standard 'first greeting of the shift' even if it is mid-afternoon.
- The phrase おはよう is a linguistic fossil from the Muromachi period. While most Japanese adverbs reverted to an '-ku' ending, this specific expression kept the older '-u' ending, making it a rare exception in modern grammar.
- The word おはよう is technically an adverb meaning 'early' rather than a noun-based greeting like 'good morning'. It is a condensed version of an older, longer sentence wishing someone a pleasant early start.
Examples in context
- おはよう！Ohayou!Good morning!
- おはよう、元気？Ohayou, genki?Good morning, how are you?
- あ、おはよう。A, ohayou.Oh, good morning.
Example conversation
A sister wakes up her brother at home.
- 陽葵 Himariおはよう、陽太！Ohayou, Youta!Good morning, Youta!
- 陽太 Yotaん…おはよう、陽葵。N… ohayou, Himari.Hmm… good morning, Himari.
- 陽葵 Himari早く起きなよ。Hayaku okina yo.Wake up quickly.
- 陽太 Yotaあと五分だけ…Ato gofun dake…Just five more minutes…
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.
