こんにちは
konnichiwa
The Japanese phrase for "hello in the afternoon" is こんにちは (konnichiwa).
こんにちは is a common way to say hello or good afternoon. It is specifically used during daylight hours and is generally not used in the early morning or late at night.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
こんにちは is a standard, polite greeting. It is suitable for use with strangers, acquaintances or colleagues.
How does it change in a sentence?
Although the phonetic ending sounds like the subject marker 'wa' (は), こんにちは is always written with the hiragana character 'ha' (は) in standard Japanese.
How do you pronounce it?
konnichiwa
Did you know?
- Although you pronounce it as 'konnichiwa', the phrase is historically a fragment of a longer sentence, such as 'Konnichi wa gokigen ikaga desu ka', meaning 'How are you feeling today?'
- When speaking on the phone, Japanese people almost never use こんにちは and instead use もしもし to initiate the conversation.
- While it is a polite greeting, saying こんにちは to a very close friend or family member can actually sound cold or unnaturally distant in Japan.
Examples in context
- こんにちは、お元気ですか？Konnichiwa, ogenki desu ka?Hello, how are you?
- こんにちは、いい天気ですね。Konnichiwa, ii tenki desu ne.Hello, the weather is nice, isn't it?
- こんにちは、田中さん。Konnichiwa, Tanaka-san.Hello, Mr. Tanaka.
Example conversation
Two neighbors meet on the street in the afternoon.
- 美咲 Misakiこんにちは、大翔さん。Konnichiwa, Hiroto-san.Hello, Hiroto.
- 大翔 Hirotoこんにちは、美咲さん。Konnichiwa, Misaki-san.Hello, Misaki.
- 美咲 Misaki今日は暑いですね。Kyou wa atsui desu ne.It is hot today, isn't it?
- 大翔 Hirotoそうですね。Sou desu ne.It certainly is.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry こんにちは, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
