今日は
konnichi wa[kõ̞ɲ̟ːit͡ɕiβ̞a̠]
The English phrase "hello" can be translated into Japanese as 今日は (konnichi wa). Wiktionary also lists 今晩は (konban wa).
Meaning: greeting (intj)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 今日は | konnichi wa | [kõ̞ɲ̟ːit͡ɕiβ̞a̠] (narrow) |
| 今晩は | konban wa | [kõ̞mbã̠ɰ̃β̞a̠] (narrow) |
今日は is used as a greeting. While 今晩は also functions as a greeting specifically when meeting someone in the evening or at night, it is also used to mean "good evening".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 今晩は literally means "as for tonight".
How do you pronounce it?
konnichi wa
Did you know?
- While 今日は is written with the characters for 'today', it is pronounced konnichi wa only when used as a greeting. If you are simply saying 'today is', the particle は is used, but the word 'today' is often pronounced kyō.
- In many Japanese contexts, a greeting is often accompanied by a bow, where the depth and duration of the bow convey different levels of respect.
- Because 今日は was originally part of longer sentences like 'How are you doing today?', it functions grammatically more like 'As for today…' than a simple 'Hello'.
Examples in context
- 今日は。Hello!Tatoeba #778577 by marloncori, translation #373330 by CK
Example conversation
Hiyori and Ren meet at the park during the day.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮君、今日は！Ren-kun, konnichiwa!Hello, Ren!
- 蓮 Renあ、陽葵ちゃん、今日は。A, Hiyori-chan, konnichiwa.Oh, Hiyori, hello.
- 陽葵 Himariどこへ行くの？Doko e iku no?Where are you going?
- 蓮 Renコンビニまで行こうと思って。Konbini made ikou to omotte.I'm thinking of going to the convenience store.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries 今日は, 今晩は, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 今日は, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
