Daily greetings in Japan
This time, I will explain about daily greetings in Japan.
Probably in any country, the greeting words differ depending on the time of day. Japan is no exception, and we use three different greeting phrases when we meet people.
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| Daily greetings in Japan |
About daily greeting's Words
おはようございます（ohayou gozaimasu）。
こんにちは(konnichiwa)。
こんばんは(konbanwa)。
This is how some of these words are converted into Kanji.
お早うございます。
Good morning.
今日は。
Good afternoon.
今晩は。
Good evening.
"おはようございます(ohayougozaimasu)" is a word used from dawn to around 11 AM. You can just say, "おはよう(ohayou)".
"こんにちは(konnichiwa)" = from around 11 AM to evening.
"こんばんは(konbanwa)" = from evening to midnight.
Caution:
"ございます(gozaimasu)" is not added to "こんにちは" "こんばんは".
These are the symbols used at the end of a Japanese sentence or as delimiters.
The letter "は" used in "こんにちは" "こんばんは" is pronounced "wa" when we say it.
This is true in other cases as well.
I
わたしは(Watashi wa)
You
あなたは(Anata wa)
He
かれは(Kare wa)
She
かのじょは(Kanojo wa)
They
かれらは(Karera wa)
Each "は" is pronounced "wa".
A sentence hidden behind a greeting's word
The reading of "こんにちは" can be changed to "きょうは(Today is...)". It is because the sentence "You look great." is hidden behind it.
「今日は（お元気そうですね）」
"Konnichiwa (ogenkisou desu ne)"
The word "良い晩ですね" is hidden in the following sentence: "今晩は".
「今晩は（良い晩ですね）」
"Konban wa (yoi ban desu ne)"
This is a common word to follow these greetings.
「お元気ですか？」
"Ogenki desu ka?"
This is a polite reply. We only say this when we meet our friend after a long time.
You can also say "元気ですか(Genki desu ka)?" without the letter "O".
Japanese words are sometimes used as polite words by adding "O" in front of the word.
A common response to "お元気ですか?" is:.
「元気です、おかげさまで」
"Genki desu. Okagesama de."
Japanese often omits "わたしは(I)" and "あなたは(You)" when speaking.
Next is a farewell speech.
「さようなら」
"Sayounara"
This "さようなら" can also be replaced with Kanji.
"左様なら"
This means "If that's the case" as in the previous sentence.
"~."
"If so ~."
This single word "左様(Sayou)" was used by the Japanese 100 years ago. I have only heard of TV dramas set in the past.
Even in modern Japan, it is a word used only by people who live a very noble life.
So just remember to say "さようなら" to say goodbye.
「じゃあ、また（明日）」
"Jah, mata(ashita)"
"I'll see you later. (tomorrow)"
「では、また（明日）」
"Dewa, mata(ashita)"
"See you later, (tomorrow)"
These are also farewell greetings used in the same way as "さようなら".
Even in Japan, some English is used on a daily basis, and we often say "バイバイ（bye-bye）" to say goodbye.
Japanese Kana characters include "Hiragana" and "Katakana" but "Katakana" is mainly used to express foreign words.
That's all about greetings.
Reference
There are several words in Japanese that mean "You".
あなた（Anata）
This is the most common name.
あんた（Anta）
This is a rude name to use. When we have a quarrel, we call them like this.
お前（Omae）
This is also a rude way of calling others, and when we argue, we call them like this.
てめえ（Teme e）
It's more offensive than "あんた" or "お前".
貴様（Kisama）
The Kanji for 様(sama) is originally a polite name, but it is also an aggressive name like "You son of a bitch!".
