今日は
konnichi wa[kõ̞ɲ̟ːit͡ɕiβ̞a̠]
In Japanese, hello can be expressed as 今日は (konnichi wa). Wiktionary also lists 今晩は (konban wa).
Meaning: greeting (intj)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 今日は | konnichi wa | [kõ̞ɲ̟ːit͡ɕiβ̞a̠] (narrow) |
| 今晩は | konban wa | [kõ̞mbã̠ɰ̃β̞a̠] (narrow) |
Another common greeting is 今晩は, which is used specifically in the evening to mean 'good evening'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 今日は literally means 'as for today', while 今晩は literally means 'as for tonight'.
Which one should you use?
今晩は is used for greetings in the evening.
How do you pronounce it?
konnichi wa
When do people say it?
For example, お早うございます is a formal way to say 'good morning' typically used until around 10 a.m., and its informal equivalent is おはよう.
Did you know?
- Although おはよう means 'good morning', it is common in certain industries, like entertainment or journalism, to say it regardless of the time of day.
- The greeting 今日は is actually a fragment of a polite inquiry about one's well-being or the weather. Over time, the long question 'How are you doing today?' was truncated into just the first few words.
- In Japan, the greeting 今日は is almost always accompanied by a bow, the depth of which depends on the social status of the person being greeted.
Examples in context
- 今日は。Hello!This sentence shows how to use the form 今日は.Tatoeba #778577 by marloncori, translation #373330 by CK
- こんにちは、お元気ですか？Hello, how are you?
- お早うございます。今日はいい天気ですね。Good morning. It's a nice weather today, isn't it?
- おはよう！今日の予定は何？Good morning! What's the plan for today?
- こんばんは！元気に過ごしてた？Good evening! Have you been well?
Example conversation
Yui and Ren meet on a sidewalk during the day.
- 結衣 Yui蓮くん、今日は！Ren-kun, konnichiwa!Hello, Ren!
- 蓮 Ren結衣ちゃん、今日は。どこへ行くの？Yui-chan, konnichiwa. Doko e iku no?Hello, Yui. Where are you going?
- 結衣 Yui図書館に行きます。Toshokan ni ikimasu.I am going to the library.
- 蓮 Renそうなんだ。頑張ってね。Sou nanda. Ganbatte ne.I see. Good luck.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries 今日は, 今晩は, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 今日は, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
