Japanese Greetings: Hello, Thank You and 20+ Everyday Phrases

The first thing worth learning in Japanese is greetings. In Hindi, one “namaste” works morning and evening, but Japanese uses different phrases for different times and occasions. This guide covers Japanese greetings: hello, good morning, thank you, sorry, meeting someone for the first time and mealtime phrases, 20+ in all, with romaji and meanings.

Prefer Hindi? यह पोस्ट हिंदी में पढ़ें.

Greetings by time of day

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	When to use it
おはようございます	Ohayō gozaimasu	Good morning	In the morning, politely (with friends just おはよう)
こんにちは	Konnichiwa	Hello / good afternoon	From late morning to evening
こんばんは	Konbanwa	Good evening	When meeting in the evening or at night
おやすみなさい	Oyasumi nasai	Good night	Before sleeping
さようなら	Sayōnara	Goodbye	A long goodbye or a formal occasion
また明日	Mata ashita	See you tomorrow	When you will meet the next day
じゃあね	Jā ne	See you / bye	Among friends

Note: さようなら is rarely used for everyday goodbyes. If you will meet again tomorrow, say また明日; with friends, じゃあね is more common.

Meeting someone: introducing yourself

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
はじめまして	Hajimemashite	Nice to meet you (first meeting)
私は〜です	Watashi wa ~ desu	I am ~
インドから来ました	Indo kara kimashita	I came from India
よろしくお願いします	Yoroshiku onegaishimasu	Please treat me well / I look forward to working with you
お元気ですか	Ogenki desu ka	How are you?
はい、元気です	Hai, genki desu	Yes, I’m fine

よろしくお願いします has no single English translation. It is used after introductions, at the start of work, and when asking for something, and means roughly “please keep a good relationship with me”.

Thank you and sorry

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
ありがとうございます	Arigatō gozaimasu	Thank you very much (polite)
ありがとう	Arigatō	Thanks (friends)
どういたしまして	Dō itashimashite	You’re welcome
すみません	Sumimasen	Excuse me / sorry / thank you too
ごめんなさい	Gomen nasai	I’m sorry
失礼します	Shitsurei shimasu	Excuse me (when entering or leaving a room)

Mealtime and office phrases

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
いただきます	Itadakimasu	Said before eating (gratitude)
ごちそうさまでした	Gochisōsama deshita	Said after eating (thanks and appreciation)
お疲れ様です	Otsukaresama desu	A greeting between colleagues, “thank you for your hard work”

More office phrases: Japanese Office Phrases.

Four things to remember when speaking

• Adding ございます makes a phrase more polite: ありがとう → ありがとうございます, おはよう → おはようございます.
• In こんにちは, the は is read “wa”, not “ha”: konnichiwa.
• A slight bow (ojigi) is normal with greetings in Japan. Folding your hands as in India is not needed.
• Mind the time: in the morning say おはようございます, not こんにちは.

Hindi greetings vs Japanese greetings

In Hindi, one namaste works at any time, and we add “aap” and similar words for respect. In Japanese, the words change with the time of day, and respect is added at the end of a sentence with ございます or です/ます. This base of politeness helps later in Business Japanese and Keigo.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say hello in Japanese?

こんにちは (konnichiwa) during the day. In the morning say おはようございます and in the evening こんばんは.

How do you say thank you in Japanese?

ありがとうございます (arigatō gozaimasu) politely, and just ありがとう with friends.

Is sayonara used every day?

Rarely. For everyday goodbyes じゃあね or また明日 are more common; さようなら is for long goodbyes or formal occasions.

Which script do I need to read these?

All greetings can be written in hiragana. Start with the hiragana chart.

Related reading

• How to Learn Japanese from Scratch
• Japanese Numbers 1 to 100
• Katakana Chart: All 46 Characters
• Japanese Honorifics Explained