おす
osu[o̞sɨ]
The Japanese way to say "hi bro" is おす (osu).
おす is a masculine greeting used to acknowledge a peer or a superior, particularly within disciplined social groups. While it functions similarly to "hi bro," it is often used as a way to recognize someone' presence within a hierarchy. For a simpler, common way to say "Hi" or "Hey" in informal contexts, you can use やあ.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
おす is a very informal, masculine greeting primarily used between male friends or between subordinates and their superiors in certain social hierarchies. To display respect when addressing someone by name, you should add the suffix -さん instead.
How do you pronounce it?
osu
Did you know?
- The greeting おす is a contraction of 押忍, a term used in karate and other martial arts to signify patience and perseverance under pressure.
- In certain sports clubs or martial arts dojos, you might hear athletes shout おす with extreme intensity to demonstrate spirit and discipline when greeting a senior member.
- Because the sound is so short and percussive, it is sometimes written in Katakana as オス rather than Hiragana to give it a more forceful, stylized, or 'tough' visual appearance in texts.
Examples in context
- おす！元気か？Osu! Genki ka?Hi bro! How are you?
- おす、久しぶり。Osu, hisashiburi.Hi bro, long time no see.
- おす、何してるんだ？Osu, nani shiteru n da?Hi bro, what are you doing?
Example conversation
Ren meets his friend's sister while hanging out.
- 蓮 Renおす！Osu!Hi bro!
- 美咲 Misakiあ、蓮くん、こんにちは。A, Ren-kun, konnichiwa.Oh, hello Ren.
- 蓮 Renあ、ごめん。美咲だったな。A, gomen. Misaki datta na.Oh, sorry. I forgot it was you, Misaki.
- 美咲 Misakiいいよ。気にしないで。Ii yo. Ki ni shinaide.It's fine. Don't worry about it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry おす, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
