今日は
konnichi wa[kõ̞ɲ̟ːit͡ɕiβ̞a̠]
The English phrase hello is expressed in 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 a versatile greeting used throughout the day to mean hello or good day. 今晩は is used specifically as a greeting during the evening or at night to say good evening.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 今晩は literally means as for tonight.
Which one should you use?
今日は is used for a general daytime greeting, while 今晩は is reserved for the evening or night.
How do you pronounce it?
konnichi wa
Did you know?
- You will almost never hear 今日は used when answering the telephone. Instead, Japanese speakers use the word もしもし to start a phone call.
- The phrase 今日は is actually a truncated fragment of longer, more polite sentences that used to ask about the listener's health or the weather.
- Japanese people rarely use 今日は when greeting close friends or family. Instead, they use much more informal expressions or simply a nod of the head.
Examples in context
- 今日は。Hello!This sentence shows how to use 今日は as a greeting.Tatoeba #778577 by marloncori, translation #373330 by CK
Example conversation
Yota and Misaki meet on the street during the day.
- 陽太 Yota美咲さん、今日は！Misaki-san, konnichiwa!Hello, Misaki!
- 美咲 Misakiあ、陽太くん、今日は。A, Yota-kun, konnichiwa.Oh, Yota, hello.
- 陽太 Yotaどこへ行くの？Doko e iku no?Where are you going?
- 美咲 Misaki図書館に行くところです。Toshokan ni iku tokoro desu.I'm on my way 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.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 今日は, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
