こんにちは、友達
Konnichiwa, tomodachi
The English phrase "hello, my friends" is translated into Japanese as こんにちは、友達 (Konnichiwa, tomodachi).
This phrase is a friendly greeting used when addressing a group of friends.
How do you pronounce it?
Konnichiwa, tomodachi
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly include watashi no (my) when translating "my friends," resulting in こんにちは、私の友達. Japanese speakers rarely use possessive pronouns in this context.
When do people say it?
In natural Japanese conversation, it is much more common to address a group of friends as こんにちは、みんな (Konnichiwa, minna) rather than using the literal tomodachi (friend).
Did you know?
- The greeting こんにちは is derived from a longer phrase meaning 'today is…', where the end of the sentence was historically left unspoken.
- While tomodachi means 'friend', Japanese speakers often use the term nakama to describe a deeper bond of comrades or teammates who share a common goal.
- The character は in こんにちは is pronounced 'wa' but written as 'ha' because it serves as a topic marker in the original sentence structure.
Examples in context
- 皆さん、こんにちは。Hello, everyone.
- みんな、こんにちは。Hey, everyone.
- おはよう、みんな。Good morning, everyone.
- やあ、みんな。Hi, everyone.
Example conversation
Yota arrives at a cafe where Yui and their friends are waiting.
- 陽太 Yotaこんにちは、友達！Konnichiwa, tomodachi!Hello, my friends!
- 結衣 Yui陽太、こんにちは！Yota, konnichiwa!Hello, Yota!
- 陽太 Yotaみんな待たせてごめんね。Minna matasete gomen ne.Sorry for keeping you all waiting.
- 結衣 Yui大丈夫だよ。座って。Daijoubu da yo. Suwatte.It's okay. Please sit down.
