Japanese for Daily Life in Japan

UNIT 1
Greetings & Basic Expressions

Lesson 2: Daily Greetings
あいさつ — Everyday Greetings

⏱️ About 25 minutes ／ 📊 Level: Beginner (N5) ／ 🗣️ Speaking + Reading

Before You Start

In Japan, the greeting you use changes with the time of day. There’s one for the morning, one for the daytime, one for the evening, and one before sleeping — plus a few easy ways to say goodbye. In this lesson, you’ll learn the greetings you’ll use every single day.

What you’ll learn:

Say “Good morning” — おはようございます
Say “Hello” in the daytime — こんにちは
Say “Good evening” — こんばんは
Say “Good night” — おやすみなさい
Say goodbye naturally — また明日 / では、また
Choose between polite and casual greetings

1. Key Phrases ／きほんのフレーズ

おはようございます。

Ohayoo gozaimasu.

Good morning. (polite)

おはよう。

Ohayoo.

Good morning. (casual)

こんにちは。

Konnichiwa.

Hello. / Good afternoon.

こんばんは。

Konbanwa.

Good evening.

おやすみなさい。

Oyasuminasai.

Good night.

さようなら。

Sayoonara.

Goodbye.

また明日。

Mata ashita.

See you tomorrow.

またね。

Mata ne.

See you.

では、また。

Dewa, mata.

See you again.

2. Daily Greeting Timeline ／ 1日のあいさつ

Japanese greetings change depending on the time of day. Follow this simple flow:

🌅 Morning おはようございます。

☀️ Daytime こんにちは。

🌆 Evening こんばんは。

🌙 Before sleep おやすみなさい。

👋 Leaving また明日。／では、また。

3. Phrase Notes ／ポイント

① おはようございます／おはよう

“Good morning.” おはようございます is polite — use it with teachers, neighbors, coworkers, and people you don’t know well. おはよう is the casual form for friends and family.

② こんにちは

“Hello / Good afternoon.” Use it when you meet someone during the day. Example: こんにちは、先生。 (Hello, teacher.)

③ こんばんは

“Good evening.” Use it when you meet someone at night. Do not use it when going to sleep — for that, use おやすみなさい.

④ おやすみなさい／おやすみ

“Good night,” used before sleeping. おやすみ is the casual form for family and close friends.

⑤ さようなら and natural goodbyes

さようなら means “goodbye,” but in daily life it can sound like a long, final farewell. For everyday situations, また明日 (see you tomorrow), またね (see you), and では、また (see you again) feel more natural.

⚠️ Common Mistake
Don’t mix up こんばんは (said when you meet someone at night) and おやすみなさい (said when you go to sleep). They are both “night” greetings, but they are used at different moments.

4. Polite & Casual ／ていねい・カジュアル

Polite	Casual	English
おはようございます。	おはよう。	Good morning.
おやすみなさい。	おやすみ。	Good night.
では、また。	またね。	See you.

Use POLITE with:

Teachers · older people · first meetings · coworkers · people you don’t know well

Use CASUAL with:

Friends · family · close classmates

💡 For beginners, polite Japanese is always the safe choice.

5. Conversation Practice ／かいわ

💬 Conversation 1 — Morning

Aおはようございます。Good morning.

Bおはようございます。Good morning.

A今日もよろしくお願いします。Let’s have a good day today.

Bよろしくお願いします。Likewise.

💬 Conversation 2 — Daytime

Aこんにちは。Hello.

Bこんにちは。Hello.

A元気ですか。How are you?

Bはい、元気です。Yes, I’m fine.

💬 Conversation 3 — Evening

Aこんばんは。Good evening.

Bこんばんは。Good evening.

A今日は寒いですね。It’s cold today, isn’t it?

Bそうですね。Yes, it is.

💬 Conversation 4 — Saying Goodbye

Aでは、また。See you again.

Bまた明日。See you tomorrow.

Aさようなら。Goodbye.

Bさようなら。Goodbye.

6. Vocabulary ／たんご

Japanese	Romaji	English
朝	asa	morning
昼	hiru	daytime / noon
夜	yoru	night
今日	kyoo	today
明日	ashita	tomorrow
先生	sensee	teacher
友だち	tomodachi	friend
家族	kazoku	family
元気	genki	fine / healthy
寒い	samui	cold
暑い	atsui	hot

7. Check Your Understanding ／クイズ

Think about each question first. The answer and explanation are shown below each one.

Q1. What do you say in the morning?

A. おはようございます。 B. こんばんは。 C. おやすみなさい。

Answer: A
おはようございます is the morning greeting. こんばんは is for the evening, and おやすみなさい is said before sleeping.

Q2. What do you say in the evening when you meet someone?

A. おはようございます。 B. こんばんは。 C. また明日。

Answer: B
こんばんは is used when you meet someone in the evening or at night. また明日 means “see you tomorrow,” so it’s a goodbye, not a greeting.

Q3. What do you say before sleeping?

A. こんにちは。 B. では、また。 C. おやすみなさい。

Answer: C
おやすみなさい is said before going to sleep. こんにちは is a daytime hello, and では、また is a goodbye.

8. Match the Greeting ／れんしゅう

Match each Japanese greeting with its English meaning. Check your answers below.

おはようございます。 → ______

こんにちは。 → ______

こんばんは。 → ______

おやすみなさい。 → ______

また明日。 → ______

Choices: A. Good night. B. Hello / Good afternoon. C. Good morning. D. See you tomorrow. E. Good evening.

Answers: おはようございます = C ／こんにちは = B ／こんばんは = E ／おやすみなさい = A ／また明日 = D

9. Polite or Casual? ／れんしゅう

Choose the better greeting for each situation. Answers are shown below each one.

Q1. You meet your teacher in the morning.

A. おはよう。 B. おはようございます。

Answer: B
With a teacher, use the polite form おはようございます. おはよう is only for friends and family.

Q2. You say good night to your close friend.

A. おやすみ。 B. おはようございます。

Answer: A
With a close friend at night, the casual おやすみ is natural. おはようございます means “good morning,” so it doesn’t fit here.

Q3. You say goodbye to a classmate you’ll see tomorrow.

A. また明日。 B. こんばんは。

Answer: A
また明日 (“see you tomorrow”) is perfect when you’ll meet again the next day. こんばんは is an evening greeting, not a goodbye.

🚀 Mini Mission

Today’s mission: Use one Japanese greeting in real life, or practice aloud.

Try saying:

おはようございます。／こんにちは。／こんばんは。／また明日。

Practice with your teacher, a classmate, a coworker, a neighbor, a friend, or yourself in front of a mirror.

📘 Review ／まとめ

In this lesson, you learned the daily greetings you’ll use most often. The three most important are:

おはようございます。(morning)
こんにちは。(daytime)
こんばんは。(evening)

💡 When you’re not sure, use the polite greeting. Polite Japanese is safe, friendly, and respectful.

FAQ

Q. What’s the difference between こんばんは and おやすみなさい?

Both are used at night, but at different moments. こんばんは is for when you meet someone in the evening. おやすみなさい is for when you are about to sleep or part for the night.

Q. Do Japanese people really use さようなら every day?

Not so often in casual daily life — it can sound like a long or final goodbye. In everyday situations, また明日, またね, or では、また sound more natural and friendly.

Q. If I’m not sure, should I use polite or casual greetings?

Always choose polite when unsure. Polite greetings like おはようございます are never rude, and they work with teachers, coworkers, and people you’ve just met.

🌸 Practice with a real teacher

Want to Practice with a Teacher?

Greetings feel natural only when you actually say them to someone. Practice your daily greetings with a professional teacher — start with a free trial lesson and build real speaking confidence.

Book a Free Trial Lesson →

Online or in-person — both available on request.

Lesson 2: Daily Greetingsあいさつ — Everyday Greetings

Before You Start

1. Key Phrases ／ きほんのフレーズ

2. Daily Greeting Timeline ／ 1日のあいさつ

3. Phrase Notes ／ ポイント

4. Polite & Casual ／ ていねい・カジュアル

5. Conversation Practice ／ かいわ