みんな、こんにちは
minna, konnichiwa
The English phrase "hello friends" is expressed in Japanese as みんな、こんにちは (minna, konnichiwa).
While English speakers often say 'hello friends', Japanese speakers more naturally use みんな、こんにちは (hello everyone) to address a group of friends or peers. The term こんにちは is a versatile greeting used during the day that works in both formal and informal settings.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of みんな, which is a noun meaning "everyone" and こんにちは, which means "hello".
How does it change in a sentence?
The word みんな functions as a noun meaning "everyone" and is used here as a vocative to address the group.
How do you pronounce it?
minna, konnichiwa
Did you know?
- Historically, こんにちは was the beginning of a longer sentence meaning 'today is a good day', but over time the rest of the sentence was dropped.
- The は in こんにちは is actually a topic marker particle, which is why it is written with the character for 'ha' but pronounced as 'wa'.
- While みんな is used for 'everyone', you will rarely hear a Japanese person say 'hello friends' using the word for friend 友達 (tomodachi) as a greeting.
Examples in context
- お疲れ！今日何する？Hey! What are you up to today?
- みんな、こんにちは。元気ですか？Minna, konnichiwa. Genki desu ka?Hello friends. How are you?
- みんな、こんにちは。今日はいい天気ですね。Minna, konnichiwa. Kyou wa ii tenki desu ne.Hello friends. The weather is nice today, isn't it?
Example conversation
Kenta enters a room where Yui and other friends are waiting.
- 健太 Kentaみんな、こんにちは！Minna, konnichiwa!Hello friends!
- 結衣 Yui健太、こんにちは！Kenta, konnichiwa!Hello, Kenta!
- 健太 Kenta今日は楽しみだね。Kyou wa tanoshimi da ne.I'm looking forward to today.
- 結衣 Yuiうん、私も！Un, watashi mo!Yeah, me too!
