The English word Hello is very convenient because you can use it at any time of the day but unfortunately there isn’t such a word in Japanese. They use different words depending on the time of the day and who they are talking to. The following video will help you understand the difference.
There are 7 phrases in this video, but the most important ones for you are:
| English equivalent | Hiragana | Roomaji | When to use it. |
| Good Morning | おはよう ございます | Ohayou gozaimasu | Good till around 10 am |
| Good Day, Good Afternoon (If you find it hard to remember the other two, remember this one at least.) | こんにちは | Konnichiwa | After 10 am till dusk. |
| Good Evening | こんばんは | Konbanwa | After dark |
| Good Bye | さようなら | Sayounara | Any time of the day. However, it has a bit of “final” feel about it, so use it carefully. |
Suggested Activities
- Say these greetings out loud until you can remember them well.
- Learn Hiragana writing
- Do the exercise 1 and 2 in the Module 1 of the Moodle Course.
