こんにちは、みんな
konnichiwa, minna
The Japanese phrase for "hi friends" is こんにちは、みんな (konnichiwa, minna).
This phrase is used as a casual greeting to address a group of people. While it is translated as "hi friends," it is more natural in Japanese to address a group as "everyone" rather than using a word for "friends" like tomodachi.
What does it mean word for word?
The word みんな (minna) literally means "everyone" or "everybody."
Which one should you use?
While こんにちは、みんな is a friendly way to greet a group of peers, you can also use the very informal Yo, minna! or the much more respectful Konnichiwa, mina-sama! in formal or business environments. Additionally, if you are greeting people in the evening, you should use konbanwa (good evening) instead of konnichiwa.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
こんにちは、みんな is casual and friendly. For a more formal or professional setting, use Konnichiwa, mina-sama! For extremely informal situations, you might use yo to mean "hey" or "yo."
How do you pronounce it?
konnichiwa, minna
Did you know?
- The word こんにちは is written with the character は (ha) but pronounced as 'wa' because it functions as a topic marker in the original sentence structure.
- The word konnichiwa is actually a shortened version of a much longer, formal greeting that used to include a phrase about the 'present day'.
- Adding 様 (sama) to みんな to create みな様 changes the meaning from 'everyone' to 'honored guests', shifting the tone from friendly to deeply respectful.
Examples in context
- こんにちは、みんな、元気？Konnichiwa, minna, genki?Hi friends, how are you?
Example conversation
Yui walks into a room where Yota and other friends are waiting.
- 結衣 Yuiこんにちは、みんな！待たせたね。Konnichiwa, minna! Mataseta ne.Hi friends! Sorry to keep you waiting.
- 陽太 Yota結衣、こんにちは！全然大丈夫だよ。Yui, konnichiwa! Zenzen daijoubu dayo.Hi Yui! It's totally fine.
- 結衣 Yui今日はどこに行く？Kyou wa doko ni iku?Where are we going today?
- 陽太 Yota新しいカフェに行ってみよう。Atarashii kafe ni itte miyou.Let's try that new cafe.
