こんばんは
konbanwa
The English phrase 'hello at night' is translated into Japanese as こんばんは (konbanwa).
こんばんは is a greeting used specifically when meeting someone in the evening or at night, typically after sunset. It is used as a way to say 'good evening' upon arrival or meeting, rather than as a way to say goodbye.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is literally composed of konban (tonight) and the particle wa (as for), meaning 'as for tonight'.
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish this from おやすみなさい. While 'good night' in English can sometimes function as a greeting, in Japanese, こんばんは is used when meeting someone, whereas おやすみなさい is used when someone is going to sleep or leaving for the night.
How do you pronounce it?
konbanwa
Did you know?
- Although it is pronounced as 'wa', the final character of こんばんは is written as は (ha). This is because it is a grammatical particle rather than part of a word.
- In Japanese culture, saying こんばんは to a stranger in a residential neighborhood can sometimes be perceived as too forward or suspicious depending on the context.
- The grammatical structure using the particle は is unique here because it marks 'tonight' as the topic of a sentence that has been entirely dropped over centuries of use.
Examples in context
- こんばんは、元気ですか？Konbanwa, genki desu ka?Hello, how are you?
- こんばんは、お疲れ様です。Konbanwa, otsukaresama desu.Hello, thank you for your hard work.
- こんばんは、また明日。Konbanwa, mata ashita.Hello, see you tomorrow.
Example conversation
A man and a woman meet on a street in the evening.
- 陽葵 Himariこんばんは、蓮さん。Konbanwa, Ren-san.Hello, Ren.
- 蓮 Renこんばんは、陽葵さん。Konbanwa, Himari-san.Hello, Himari.
- 陽葵 Himariどこへ行くんですか？Doko e iku n desu ka?Where are you going?
- 蓮 Ren家へ帰ります。Ie e kaerimasu.I am going home.
