How to Say "Greeting" in Japanese

挨拶

aisatsu[a̠isa̠t͡sɨ]

The Japanese word for "greeting" is 挨拶 (aisatsu).

挨拶 refers to the act of saying hello or the formal social ritual of exchanging greetings.

Meaning: acknowledgement of a persons presence or arrival (noun)

How does it change in a sentence?

You can turn the noun 挨拶 into the verb 挨拶する, which means "to greet".

aisatsu

If someone says 'aisatsu ga taihen desu', they aren't saying the greeting is difficult, but rather that someone's social manners are extremely poor.
The phrase 挨拶 is actually a loanword from Middle Chinese, where the individual characters originally referred to the act of 'approaching' and 'speaking' to someone.
In a professional Japanese setting, 'aisatsu' can refer to a formal speech given at the start or end of a meeting, rather than just a casual hello.

挨拶は元気に大きな声でしましょう。
When greeting, you should use a big and energetic voice.
This sentence is useful for practicing how to use 挨拶.
Tatoeba #10588053 by Sonata, translation #10765311 by end
おはようございます。今日も一日頑張りましょう！
Good morning. Let's do our best today!
こんにちは！元気ですか？
Hello! How are you?
こんばんは。お仕事は順調ですか？
Good evening. Is work going well?
おはよう！今日は何しよう？
Good morning! What should we do today?
どうも！久しぶりだね。
Hello! Long time no see.
毎朝の挨拶を忘れないで。
Maiasa no aisatsu o wasurenaide.
Don't forget your morning greeting.
彼は丁寧な挨拶をする人だ。
Kare wa teinei na aisatsu o suru hito da.
He is a person who gives polite greetings.

At home, a brother reminds his sister about a social rule.

陽太 Yota

陽葵、お客様への挨拶はした？
Himari, okyakusama e no aisatsu wa shita?
Himari, did you greet the guest?
陽葵 Himari

はい、ちゃんと言いましたよ。
Hai, chanto iimashita yo.
Yes, I said it properly.
陽太 Yota

よかった。挨拶は大切だからね。
Yokatta. Aisatsu wa taisetsu dakara ne.
Good. Greetings are important, after all.
陽葵 Himari

分かっています。
Wakatte imasu.
I know.

Sources

Wiktionary, “greeting” translations and entries 挨拶, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries 挨拶, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏