Main dialogue: a day with a host family
Mark is staying with the Yamada family in Tokyo. Here is what he says to Mrs. Yamada from morning to night. The brackets give the time and place.
- マーク
おはようございます。
(Morning, in the kitchen) Good morning.
- 山田
おはよう、マークさん。朝ごはん、食べる？
Morning, Mark. Will you have breakfast?
- マーク
はい、いただきます。
Yes, thank you, I will.
- マーク
ごちそうさまでした。じゃあ、いってきます。
(After eating) Thank you for the meal. Well, I’m off.
- 山田
いってらっしゃい。気をつけてね。
See you later. Take care.
- マーク
ただいま。
(Early evening, at the front door) I’m home.
- 山田
おかえりなさい。外、寒かったでしょう。
Welcome back. It was cold outside, wasn’t it?
- マーク
はい、ちょっと寒かったです。
Yes, it was a bit cold.
- マーク
じゃあ、おやすみなさい。
(11 p.m.) Well, I’m going to bed. Good night.
- 山田
はい、おやすみ。
OK, good night.
In this dialogue, Mark hardly makes up a sentence of his own; everything he says is a set phrase. Greetings come in pairs: when one person says one line, the other almost always replies with its partner. Learn these pairs well, and daily life in Japan will be much easier.
Tip
As well as before meals, 「はい、いただきます」 is used to accept when someone offers you food or tea, meaning “yes, thank you, I will”.
Greetings by time of day
| Japanese | Meaning | When to say it |
|---|---|---|
| おはようございます | Good morning (polite) | in the morning, to teachers, bosses, neighbours and people you don’t know well |
| おはよう | Morning (casual) | in the morning, to family, friends and classmates |
| こんにちは | Hello | from late morning to early evening, to people you don’t see every day |
| こんばんは | Good evening | when you meet someone after dark |
| おやすみなさい | Good night | before bed, or when parting late at night; between people who are close, 「おやすみ」 |
「こんにちは」 is not an all-purpose “hello”. It is mostly for people outside your circle: neighbours, people you know from shops, visitors. Within a family, or among people you study or work with every day, you say 「おはよう（ございます）」 the first time you see each other in a day, and after that you don’t say 「こんにちは」; at most you nod. Saying 「こんにちは」 to your family sounds like greeting a stranger.
田中先生、おはようございます。
Good morning, Tanaka-sensei.
When you use someone’s name, it usually comes before the greeting, though it can also come after.
あ、こんにちは。いい天気ですね。
Oh, hello. Lovely weather, isn’t it?
Running into a neighbour downstairs during the day. A greeting followed by a remark about the weather is the most common small talk.
こんばんは。今日は寒いですね。
Good evening. It’s cold today, isn’t it?
Culture
「おはようございます」 in the afternoon at workMany workplaces, such as restaurants, convenience stores and TV stations, have a custom: the first time you see a colleague that day, you say 「おはようございます」, whatever the time. Even when you arrive for a part-time shift at 5 p.m., you can greet the manager this way. Not every workplace does this, so when you start, listen to what others say first.
Compare
English “Hi” and “Hello” work at any time of day, but 「こんにちは」 roughly covers only the daytime. In the morning use 「おはようございます」, and after dark 「こんばんは」.
Tip
The last kana of 「こんにちは」 and 「こんばんは」 is written 「は」 but read wa. Writing 「こんにちわ」 is a common mistake; don’t write it that way in formal writing.
Going out, coming home, meals: phrases that come in pairs
| Japanese | Meaning | When to say it |
|---|---|---|
| いってきます | I’m off (and I’ll be back) | when you leave, to whoever stays at home |
| いってらっしゃい | See you later, take care | when seeing someone off |
| ただいま | I’m home | when you get home |
| おかえりなさい | Welcome back | greeting someone who has come home; family members often say 「おかえり」 |
| いただきます | I’ll start now (thank you for the food) | before eating or drinking |
| ごちそうさまでした | I’ve finished, thank you | after eating; also said to the staff when leaving a small restaurant |
The pair people most often mix up is the one for going out. 「いってきます」 literally means “I’ll go and come back” and is about yourself; 「いってらっしゃい」 means “go, and come back”, said to the other person. Coming home works the same way: the person returning says 「ただいま」, and the person at home says 「おかえりなさい」.
いってきます。
I’m off.
Say this when leaving for school, work or the shops. Don’t say 「行きます」 as you leave; that just states “I’m going”.
いってらっしゃい。気をつけて。
See you later. Take care.
昨日はごちそうさまでした。
Thank you for treating me yesterday.
After someone has treated you to a meal, thanking them again the next time you meet is a courtesy Japanese people value highly.
Culture
Even when eating alone, many people quietly say 「いただきます」, and some put their palms together. When you leave a ramen shop or a set-meal restaurant, say 「ごちそうさまでした」 to the staff, and they will reply 「ありがとうございました」. In a host family or a shared flat, say 「いってきます」 and 「ただいま」 even when you think no one can hear; people will be glad.
Compare
English has no set line for leaving home, coming back or starting a meal. Don’t translate “I’m leaving” literally as 「行きます」; at the door, what you say is 「いってきます」.
Goodbyes: choose by relationship
| Japanese | Meaning | When to say it |
|---|---|---|
| じゃあね／またね | Bye, see you | friends, classmates, family |
| じゃあ、また明日 | See you tomorrow | people you will see again tomorrow |
| さようなら | Goodbye | students to a teacher at the end of the school day, or when parting for a long time |
| 失礼します | I’ll take my leave | leaving a teacher’s office, or leaving a client or visitor |
| お先に失礼します | I’m leaving before you | leaving work while colleagues are still working |
| お疲れさまでした | Thank you for your hard work | reply to someone leaving work first |
「さようなら」 sounds rather formal, and carries a sense of “we won’t meet for a while”. Friends and colleagues rarely say it when they part in everyday life. School is the exception: students saying 「先生、さようなら」 at the end of the day is quite ordinary.
- リン
店長、お先に失礼します。
I’m leaving before you, Manager.
- 店長
お疲れさま。明日もよろしくね。
Thanks for your hard work. I’m counting on you tomorrow too.
- リン
はい。お疲れさまでした。
Yes. Thank you for your hard work.
- 佐藤
リンさん、お疲れさまでした。
Lin, thanks for your hard work.
Watch out
Saying 「さようなら」 or 「じゃあね」 to your manager or boss when leaving work is not appropriate: the first is stiff and the second too casual. Say 「お先に失礼します」. The manager’s 「お疲れさま」 is how a senior speaks to a junior; when you reply to others, use 「お疲れさまでした」. This set comes up in more detail in lesson 21.
Which phrase for whom
| Situation | To family and friends | To teachers, bosses and people you don’t know well |
|---|---|---|
| meeting in the morning | おはよう | おはようございます |
| before bed | おやすみ | おやすみなさい |
| greeting someone who has come home | おかえり | おかえりなさい |
| after a meal | ごちそうさま | ごちそうさまでした |
| parting | じゃあね／またね | 失礼します |
The rough rule: short is casual, long is polite. Add 「ございます」, 「なさい」 or 「でした」, and you have a phrase you can use with older people and bosses. Some phrases don’t change with the person: 「いってきます」, 「いってらっしゃい」, 「ただいま」 and 「いただきます」 are the same for everyone.
Culture
A nod is a greeting tooWhen you meet neighbours in the lift or corridor of your block of flats, a nod and 「こんにちは」 or 「こんばんは」 is enough; you don’t need to stop and chat. If you meet again the same day, a nod alone is fine.