今日は
konnichiwakanji, daytime greeting
The common greeting こんにちは (konnichiwa) can be written in kanji as 今日は (konnichiwa), but it is nearly always written in hiragana today. It is also called 今晩は (konbanwa).
Meaning: greeting (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 今日は | konnichiwa | kanji, daytime greeting |
| 今晩は | konbanwa | kanji, evening greeting |
今日は (konnichiwa) is a daytime greeting. In the evening people say 今晩は (konbanwa), also written こんばんは in hiragana.
What mistakes should you avoid?
The kanji 今日は can also be read kyou wa, meaning "today", so the hiragana spelling avoids confusion. Casual greetings such as やあ (yaa) have no kanji at all.
Did you know?
- The greeting こんにちは (konnichiwa) is a shortened form of a longer phrase about the day, and that is why its last sound is written with は (ha) but pronounced "wa".
Examples in context
- こんにちは、田中さん。Konnichiwa, Tanaka-san.Hello, Mr. Tanaka.
- 今晩は、いい夜ですね。Konbanwa, ii yoru desu ne.Good evening, it is a nice night.
Example conversation
Emi greets her neighbor Mr. Ito on a sunny afternoon.
- Emiこんにちは、伊藤さん。Konnichiwa, Itou-san.Hello, Mr. Ito.
- Itoこんにちは、いい天気ですね。Konnichiwa, ii tenki desu ne.Hello, nice weather, isn't it?
- Emiそうですね。Sou desu ne.Yes, it is.
