やっほー
yahhoocasual, playful
Over text, a friendly "hi" in Japanese is やっほー (yahhoo). Short messages may use おは (oha) in the morning, and こんにちは (konnichiwa) is the polite choice.
Meaning: greeting in a text message (phrase)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization | Note |
|---|---|---|
| やっほー | yahhoo | casual, playful |
| こんにちは | konnichiwa | polite, neutral |
| おは | oha | slang, morning, short |
やっほー (yahhoo) is light and playful. おは (oha) is short for おはよう (ohayou), "good morning", and is used only among close friends. For work or first messages, use こんにちは (konnichiwa) or お世話になっております (osewa ni natte orimasu).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Text messages to teachers, clients or older people should use polite forms ending in です (desu) or ます (masu). Emojis and stamps are common among friends, but not in business texts.
Did you know?
- In Japanese chats, people often use a sticker instead of a written greeting, which makes the message very short.
Examples in context
- やっほー、元気?Yahhoo, genki?Hi, how are you?
- おは!今日も頑張ろう。Oha! Kyou mo ganbarou.Morning! Let's do our best today.
- こんにちは、お久しぶりです。Konnichiwa, ohisashiburi desu.Hello, it has been a while.
Example conversation
Aya texts her friend Yui in the morning.
- Ayaおは!Oha!Morning!
- 結衣 Yuiおはよう。今日は早いね。Ohayou. Kyou wa hayai ne.Good morning. You are early today.
- Ayaうん、仕事が早いから。Un, shigoto ga hayai kara.Yes, work starts early.
