Greetings & Goodbyes

Japanese Basic Conversation 1

Chapter 1 · Greetings & Goodbyes

👋 Greetings & Goodbyes — あいさつ

Welcome to your first conversation lesson. By the end of this chapter you'll be able to greet people at any time of the day, say thank you and sorry, say goodbye, and use the little set phrases for leaving and coming home. Japanese is shown in kana (hiragana, with katakana where needed), with romaji under every line, so you're never guessing. You already know how to read it: now you learn to use it.

① Good Morning at the Hotel — あさのあいさつ

A: おはようございます。 Ohayō gozaimasu. Good morning.

B: おはようございます。おげんきですか。 Ohayō gozaimasu. Ogenki desu ka. Good morning. How are you?

A: はい、げんきです。ありがとうございます。 Hai, genki desu. Arigatō gozaimasu. Yes, I'm well. Thank you.

B: よかったです。 Yokatta desu. That's good to hear.

② A Nice Day — こんにちは

A: こんにちは。 Konnichiwa. Hello.

B: こんにちは。いいてんきですね。 Konnichiwa. Ii tenki desu ne. Hello. Nice weather, isn't it?

A: はい、そうですね。 Hai, sō desu ne. Yes, it is.

B: では、また。 Dewa, mata. Well then, see you again.

A: さようなら。 Sayōnara. Goodbye.

③ At the Office — かいしゃで

A: たなかさん、おつかれさまです。 Tanaka-san, otsukaresama desu. Tanaka-san, hello (good work today).

B: おつかれさまです。パソコンはだいじょうぶですか。 Otsukaresama desu. Pasokon wa daijōbu desu ka. Hello. Is the PC all right?

A: はい、だいじょうぶです。ありがとうございます。 Hai, daijōbu desu. Arigatō gozaimasu. Yes, it's fine. Thank you.

B: では、おさきにしつれいします。 Dewa, osaki ni shitsurei shimasu. Well then, I'll leave before you (excuse me).

A: おつかれさまでした。 Otsukaresama deshita. Thanks for your work today.

④ Leaving and Coming Home — いえで

A: いってきます。 Ittekimasu. I'm off (and I'll be back).

B: いってらっしゃい。 Itterasshai. See you later. Take care.

A: ただいま。 Tadaima. I'm home. (later, on returning)

B: おかえりなさい。 Okaerinasai. Welcome home.

⑤ Thanks and Sorry — ありがとうとごめんなさい

A: あ、すみません。 A, sumimasen. Oh, excuse me.

B: いいえ、だいじょうぶです。 Iie, daijōbu desu. No, it's all right.

A: ごめんなさい。ありがとうございます。 Gomen nasai. Arigatō gozaimasu. I'm sorry. Thank you.

B: どういたしまして。 Dō itashimashite. You're welcome.

⑥ Goodbye to a Friend (casual) — ともだちに

A: じゃあ、またあした。 Jā, mata ashita. Well, see you tomorrow.

B: うん、またね。 Un, mata ne. Yeah, see you.

A: おやすみなさい。 Oyasuminasai. Good night.

B: おやすみ。 Oyasumi. Night.

🗝️ Key Phrases — たいせつなひょうげん

Japanese has a polite style and a casual style. With anyone you don't know well, in a shop, in a hotel or at work, use the polite column. The casual column is for close friends and family, and for understanding what you hear.

Situation	Polite	Casual
Good morning	おはようございます ohayō gozaimasu	おはよう ohayō
Hello (daytime)	こんにちは konnichiwa	(same)
Good evening	こんばんは konbanwa	(same)
Thank you	ありがとうございます arigatō gozaimasu	ありがとう arigatō
Sorry	すみません sumimasen	ごめん gomen
Goodbye	さようなら sayōnara	じゃあね jā ne
Good night	おやすみなさい oyasuminasai	おやすみ oyasumi
How are you?	おげんきですか ogenki desu ka	げんき？ genki?
See you / see you later	では、また dewa, mata	またね mata ne

🔤 Three Verbs You Can Already Use — どうし

Japanese verbs have one polite pattern. Here are the forms of the three most useful verbs for this chapter. You do not need to learn the grammar behind them yet; just recognise the endings.

Verb	Present (polite)	Negative	Past
to be (です)	です desu	ではありません dewa arimasen	でした deshita
to go (いく)	いきます ikimasu	いきません ikimasen	いきました ikimashita
to come (くる)	きます kimasu	きません kimasen	きました kimashita

How the Polite Forms Work The polite present ends in -ます (-masu), the polite negative in -ません (-masen) and the polite past in -ました (-mashita). です works the same way: です → ではありません → でした. The は in ではありません is read wa.

🏠 Going Out, Coming Home, Eating, Working — いえとかいしゃ

Japanese has set phrases for everyday moments that English does not bother to mark. You will hear these every day.

Say this…	…when	The reply
いってきます ittekimasu	leaving home or the office, intending to return	いってらっしゃい itterasshai
ただいま tadaima	arriving home	おかえりなさい okaerinasai
いただきます itadakimasu	before eating	(nothing needed)
ごちそうさまでした gochisōsama deshita	after eating	(nothing needed)
おさきにしつれいします osaki ni shitsurei shimasu	leaving work before others	おつかれさまでした otsukaresama deshita

📖 Vocabulary — ごい

20 key words. Read the Japanese first, then check the romaji.

#	Japanese	Romaji	English	Type
1	おはようございます	ohayō gozaimasu	good morning (polite)	phrase
2	こんにちは	konnichiwa	hello; good afternoon	phrase
3	こんばんは	konbanwa	good evening	phrase
4	おやすみなさい	oyasuminasai	good night	phrase
5	さようなら	sayōnara	goodbye	phrase
6	ありがとう	arigatō	thank you (casual)	phrase
7	ありがとうございます	arigatō gozaimasu	thank you (polite)	phrase
8	どういたしまして	dō itashimashite	you're welcome	phrase
9	すみません	sumimasen	excuse me; sorry; thank you	phrase
10	ごめんなさい	gomen nasai	I'm sorry	phrase
11	はい	hai	yes	phrase
12	いいえ	iie	no	phrase
13	おげんきですか	ogenki desu ka	how are you?	phrase
14	げんきです	genki desu	I'm well	phrase
15	いってきます	ittekimasu	I'm off (and will be back)	phrase
16	いってらっしゃい	itterasshai	see you later; take care	phrase
17	ただいま	tadaima	I'm home	phrase
18	おかえりなさい	okaerinasai	welcome home	phrase
19	おつかれさまです	otsukaresama desu	hello / thanks for your work (at work)	phrase
20	しつれいします	shitsurei shimasu	excuse me (entering or leaving)	phrase

Real Japanese Tip — Bowing (おじぎ) Greetings in Japan often come with a bow. A small nod is enough for everyday hellos and thanks; a deeper bow shows more respect, such as to a customer, a boss or after a mistake. As a visitor you are not expected to bow perfectly: a slight nod and a smile with こんにちは is always welcome.

すみません Does Three Jobs すみません means excuse me (to get someone's attention), I'm sorry (when you've troubled someone) and, very often, thank you (for something someone has done for you). ごめんなさい is closer to a plain "I'm sorry", so it is more personal and a little more casual.

おつかれさまです — The Office Greeting At work in Japan you will hear おつかれさまです all day: as a greeting in the corridor, when you pass a colleague, when you leave. It literally means "you must be tired", but it simply says "thanks for your effort". It's the safe, polite word between colleagues, whatever the time of day. And in shops you'll often hear いらっしゃいませ, "welcome", to which you don't reply.

Time of Day おはようございます is used until about mid-morning, こんにちは from then until evening, and こんばんは from evening. At the end of the day, おやすみなさい is for going to bed. The exact switch-over times are flexible: use what feels natural.

Kanji Spotlight — 日 こんにちは is originally part of a longer sentence written 今日は (konnichi wa, "as for today…"). Two kanji, and the second, 日 (nichi, hi), means day and sun. It is also in 日本 (Nihon, Japan, literally "the origin of the sun"), and in the word for Sunday. Look for it as you read: see the kanji page for 日 ▸.

✍️ Try It Yourself — れんしゅう

Say each answer out loud first, then click to check.

1. It is 8 a.m. and you meet the receptionist at your hotel. What do you say?

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おはようございます。 (Ohayō gozaimasu.)

2. A shop assistant gives you your change. What do you say?

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ありがとうございます。 (Arigatō gozaimasu.) or すみません。

3. You bump into someone on a train. What do you say, and what might they reply?

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すみません。 / ごめんなさい。 They might say だいじょうぶです。 (It's all right.)

4. You are leaving home for work. What do you say, and what is the reply?

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いってきます。 The reply: いってらっしゃい。

5. A colleague leaves the office before you. What do they say, and what do you reply?

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おさきにしつれいします。 You reply: おつかれさまでした。

6. Say "Good night" politely, then casually.

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おやすみなさい。 (polite) · おやすみ。 (casual)

Coming Up in Chapter 2 Introducing yourself: はじめまして ("nice to meet you"), saying your name with 〜です and 〜といいます, and よろしくおねがいします. You'll meet the particle は properly, and learn why Japanese people say their family name first.

Greetings & Goodbyes