Basic Japanese Greetings for Travelers, Morning to Night
A greeting is the one piece of Japanese you will use dozens of times a day: walking into a guesthouse, meeting a tour guide, passing a shop owner sweeping the sidewalk. You do not need many. The Japan National Tourism Organization's (JNTO) Tourist's Language Handbook prints a short set of greetings in its "Useful Japanese Phrases" section, and those few lines cover nearly every situation a traveler meets. Here they are, with readings and when to use them.
1. The three time-of-day greetings
The handbook lists three greetings that change with the time of day.
| English | Japanese | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Good morning. | おはようございます。 | ohayou gozaimasu |
| Good afternoon. | こんにちは。 | konnichiwa |
| Good evening. | こんばんは。 | konbanwa |
A few notes for travelers:
- おはようございます is the long, polite form, which is the safe choice with anyone you do not know, such as hotel staff at breakfast or a guide at a morning meeting point.
- こんにちは is the all-purpose daytime greeting. If you only learn one word on this page, learn this one.
- こんばんは works once it is dark, for example when checking in late or arriving at a restaurant for dinner.
A spelling quirk worth knowing: the final sound in こんにちは and こんばんは is written with the character は but pronounced "wa." That is why the handbook's romanization ends in "wa."
2. Meeting someone for the first time
If you are joining a homestay, a cooking class, or a small-group tour, you may need to introduce yourself. The handbook gives the building blocks:
| English | Japanese | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| How do you do? | はじめまして。 | hajimemashite |
| My name is ～. | 私は～と申します。 | watashi wa ～ to moushimasu |
| I'm from ～. | 私は～から来ました。 | watashi wa ～ kara kimashita |
| Nice to meet you. | お会いできて嬉しいです。 | oai dekite ureshii desu |
Put together, a complete self-introduction is only four lines:
- はじめまして。 [hajimemashite]
- 私はアレックスと申します。 [watashi wa Arekkusu to moushimasu] "My name is Alex."
- アメリカから来ました。 [Amerika kara kimashita] "I'm from America."
- お会いできて嬉しいです。 [oai dekite ureshii desu]
Your own name is usually written in katakana, the script used for foreign words, and its pronunciation adapts to Japanese sounds. You do not need to write it; saying it clearly is enough.
3. Asking how someone is
The handbook includes お元気ですか。 [ogenki desu ka], "How are you?" It fits best with someone you already know, such as a host you are seeing again on a return trip. With a stranger, the time-of-day greeting already does the job.
4. Saying goodbye
The handbook's goodbye is さようなら。 [sayounara], "Good-bye." It is the word most travelers already know, and it suits longer partings, such as the end of a homestay or the last day with a guide.
5. Where bowing fits in
JNTO's guide to customs and manners notes that bowing is deeply embedded in Japanese culture and can carry a lot of nuance, especially in business. But it also reassures visitors: as a guest in the country, you are more likely to be greeted by locals first than expected to bow first.
JNTO's suggestion is to treat a bow as an extra gesture of respect alongside your words: it names saying ありがとう [arigatou] while bowing as a way to show goodwill. A small nod with your greeting is a reasonable version of that, and you do not need to match the depth of a staff member's bow.
6. Greetings in public places
JNTO's manners guide also points out that Japanese public etiquette is taken seriously, and that common sense goes a long way. A practical version for greetings:
- Keep greetings at a normal speaking volume, especially on public transport, where JNTO asks visitors to keep phones on silent and avoid calls.
- If unsure what to do, JNTO's advice is simple: follow what the locals do.
7. Two handy add-ons
The same handbook section includes questions that pair naturally with a greeting:
- お尋ねしたいのですが。 [otazune shitai no desu ga] "Can I ask you a question?" A polite way to start a conversation after こんにちは.
- これは何ですか。 [kore wa nan desu ka] "What is this?" Useful at markets, food stalls, and shrines.
A typical exchange might be: こんにちは。お尋ねしたいのですが… followed by your question, with the handbook open if you need to point.
8. Key takeaways
- おはようございます (morning), こんにちは (daytime), and こんばんは (evening) cover nearly all greetings.
- はじめまして, 私は～と申します, and 私は～から来ました make a complete self-introduction.
- さようなら means good-bye and suits longer partings.
- JNTO says locals are likely to greet you first; bowing slightly while saying ありがとう is a welcome gesture of respect.
- Pair a greeting with お尋ねしたいのですが to open a polite question.