おはよう
ohayō[o̞ha̠jo̞ː]
ohayō is the Japanese way to say "good morning."
ohayō is a common way to greet someone in the morning. This phrase is specifically used for greetings during the morning hours.
Which one should you use?
The short form おはよう is used for casual settings, while the long form おはようございます is used for formal settings or when speaking to superiors.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
おはよう is the standard way to say good morning among friends and peers in an informal setting. It is used with friends, family and people of lower social status. To make the greeting polite or formal, you must add ございます to the end to form おはようございます, which is a respectful way to say good morning in formal situations.
How do you pronounce it?
ohayō
Did you know?
- In certain industries like entertainment or media, people use ohayō as a standard greeting regardless of the actual time of day. It serves as a way to signal the start of a work shift, even if it is actually evening.
- The phrase is etymologically rooted in the concept of 'early'. It evolved from a phrase meaning 'is it early?' or 'it is early', emphasizing the time of day rather than just the wish for a good morning.
- The 'ō' sound in ohayō is actually a linguistic relic. While most Japanese adverbs ended in 'ku' after the Muromachi period, this specific expression retained an older 'u' ending, much like the common 'arigatō'.
Examples in context
- おはよう。ohayō.Good morning.
- あ、おはよう！a, ohayō!Oh, good morning!
- みんな、おはよう。minna, ohayō.Good morning, everyone.
Example conversation
Two roommates encounter each other in the kitchen in the morning.
- 大翔 Hirotoおはよう、結衣。ohayō, Yui.Good morning, Yui.
- 結衣 Yuiおはよう、大翔。よく眠れた？ohayō, Hiroto. yoku nemureta?Good morning, Hiroto. Did you sleep well?
- 大翔 Hirotoうん、バッチリだよ。un, bacchiri dayo.Yeah, I slept perfectly.
- 結衣 Yuiよかった。yokatta.That's good.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry おはよう, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries おはよう, CC BY-SA 4.0.
