こんにちは
konnichiwaeveryday
Written in kana, the everyday "hi" is こんにちは (konnichiwa). Among friends, やあ (yā) is a short, casual hello. It is also called おっす (ossu).
Meaning: a greeting (interjection)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| こんにちは | konnichiwa | everyday |
| やあ | yā | casual |
| おっす | ossu | casual, mostly male |
こんにちは works from late morning to late afternoon. やあ fits friends, and おっす (ossu) is a rough, mostly male greeting between close friends.
What does it mean word for word?
Kana is the name for the two Japanese syllable scripts, hiragana and katakana. These native greetings are normally written in hiragana.
How do you pronounce it?
The final は in こんにちは is read wa, not ha, because it is an old greeting where the particle spelling stayed.
Did you know?
- The greeting こんにちは (konnichiwa) began as a longer phrase starting with こんにち (konnichi), meaning today.
Examples in context
- こんにちは、はじめまして。Konnichiwa, hajimemashite.Hello, nice to meet you.
- やあ、げんき。Yā, genki.Hi, how are you?
- おっす、きょうもあついな。Ossu, kyō mo atsui na.Hey, it is hot again today.
Example conversation
Kei greets his friend Taiga at a park, then meets Taiga's mother Mrs. Mori.
- Keiやあ、タイガ。Yā, Taiga.Hi, Taiga.
- Taigaやあ。こちらはぼくのははだよ。Yā. Kochira wa boku no haha da yo.Hi. This is my mother.
- Keiこんにちは、モリさん。Konnichiwa, Mori-san.Hello, Mrs. Mori.
