今日は
konnichi wa[kõ̞ɲ̟ːit͡ɕiβ̞a̠]
The English phrase hello is translated into Japanese 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) |
今日は is used to say hello or good day and can be used throughout the day until late afternoon. 今晩は is used as a greeting specifically during the evening hours.
What does it mean word for word?
今晩は literally translates to as for this evening.
Which one should you use?
今日は is used for daytime greetings until late afternoon, whereas 今晩は is used for the evening.
How do you pronounce it?
konnichi wa
Did you know?
- Japanese has no single word that functions exactly like the English 'hello' for all situations. For example, when answering the phone, people say もしもし instead of 今日は.
- In professional settings, it is often considered too casual to start a meeting with 今日は. Instead, people use お疲れ様です to acknowledge the other person's hard work.
- While 今日は is written with the characters for 'today', it is not used to mean 'today' when functioning as a greeting. If you want to say 'today' in a normal sentence, the pronunciation changes from konnichiwa to kyō.
Examples in context
- 今日は。Hello!This sentence demonstrates how to use 今日は.Tatoeba #778577 by marloncori, translation #373330 by CK
Example conversation
Misaki and Yota meet on the street during the day.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太さん、今日は！Youta-san, konnichiwa!Hello, Yota!
- 陽太 Yotaあ、美咲さん、今日は。A, Misaki-san, konnichiwa.Oh, Misaki, hello.
- 美咲 Misakiどこへ行くんですか？Doko e iku n desu ka?Where are you going?
- 陽太 Yota図書館へ行きます。Toshokan e ikimasu.I am going to the library.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries 今日は, 今晩は, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
