Greetings and Ritual Expressions

Common daily greetings and ritual expressions are introduced here. The dialogues below provide sample contexts. A vocabulary list follows each dialogue with some notes. Additional items are marked with +.

It is recommended that rather than memorizing words in isolation, you learn them through the dialogue along with appropriate body language.

First listen to the accompanying audio and practice each line aloud. Add on one line at a time. Stand up where appropriate. Practice alternatives for different contexts.

Greetings

A: Ohayou. おはよう。Good morning.

B: Ohayou gozaimasu.おはようございます。Good morning.

Gozaimasu indicates politeness and formality. People who know each other well (family members, good friends) can use the short form. You should never use the short form with your superiors (teacher, boss, supervisor). Konnichiwa and konbanwa cover both formal and informal situations.

Offering and Accepting, Thanking

A: Douzoどうぞ。Go ahead. (Please take it)

B: Aa, doumo.ああ、どうも。Oh, thanks.

Douzo is used to offer things or invite people to go ahead.

Arigatou (gozaimasu) expresses thanks in general. You should never use the short form with your superiors (teacher, boss, supervisor). Doumo expresses gratitude or apology. It can also be combined with arigatou gozaimasu (‘Thank you very much’) or sumimasen (‘I’m very sorry’). Gozaimashita indicates past and is used when the act is completed.

Addressing Someone

    ほんだ

A: Honda-san. 本田さん。Mr/s. Honda.

B: Hai. はい。Yes.

~san is a title that can be attached to a given name, a family name, and even some roles. Don’t attach it to your own name or the names of people in your group when talking to outsiders.

~sensei is a title that can be attached to teachers, professors, doctors, etc. You should not use ~san to refer to your teacher.

Hai means ‘that’s right,’ ‘present’ (in roll call), or ‘here you are’ (handing something over).

Apologizing

A: A, sumimasen. あ、すみません！Oh, sorry!

B: Ie, ie. いえ、いえ。No, no.

Sumimasen expresses apology or gratitude when you are about to trouble or have troubled someone. Sumimasen deshita expresses apology or gratitude when you have troubled someone.

Starting and Ending Eating/Drinking

A: Douzo.どうぞ。Please (have some.)

B: Jaa, itadakimasu.じゃあ、いただきます。Well, then I’ll have some.

Ja is used to follow up on what has been said, to switch topic, etc.

Itadakimasu literally means ‘I’ll humbly accept it’ and is used before eating or receiving a gift. Gochisousama (deshita) shows gratitude for the food or drink one has been offered. Even when alone Japanese people tend to whisper itadakimasu and gochisousama to start and end eating.

Requesting

A: Sumimasen. すみません。Excuse me.

  ねが

Onegaishimasu. お願いします。Can you give that to me.

B: Hai, douzo. はい、どうぞ。Sure, here you go.

Entering a Room (Knock on the door TWICE)

A: Shitsurei-shimasu. 失礼します。Excuse me.

B: Hai, douzo. はい、どうぞ。Yes, come in.

Shitsurei-shimasu literally means ‘I’m going to do something rude’ and is used when entering a room, interrupting, or leaving. Shitsurei-shimashita is used for what you’ve done.

Leaving and Coming Back to Home /Office

A: Itte kimasu. いってきます。See you later.

B: Itte rasshai. いってらっしゃい。See you later.

A: Tadaima. ただいま。I’m home.

B: Okaerinasai. おかえりなさい。Welcome back.

Itte kimasu is used when leaving home or stepping out the office for an errand. It implies that you are coming back.

Meeting People for the First Time

A:      Hajimemashite. はじめまして。How do you do.

 ほんだ

Honda desu. 本田です。I’m Honda.

   ほんだ

B:      Honda-san desu ka 本田さんですか。You’re Mr. Honda?

Sumisu desu スミスです。I’m Smith.

Douzo yoroshiku. どうぞよろしく。Nice to meet you.

Hajimemashite literally means ‘for the first time.’ It is a ritual expression used in first meeting people. You can respond with your own hajimemashite or douzo yoroshiku onegai-shimasu. Make sure you bow.

After a person tells you their name, confirm it by asking X-san desu ka. Repetition may seem unnecessary, but it’s customary to do so during introductions.

Taking Leave

  しつれい

A: Ja, shitsurei-shimasu.じゃ、失礼します。Well then, I’ll go (excuse me).

つか

B: Aa, otsukare-sama deshita. ああ、お疲れさまでした. Ah, thanks for the good work.

The above are common greetings between co-workers. They are also used to thank service personnel or acknowledge anyone’s hard work.

Parting

A: Ja, mata.じゃ、また。Well, see you.

B: Sayonaraさよなら。Good-bye.

Retiring at Night

A: Ja, oyasumiじゃ、おやすみ。

B: Aa, oyasuminasaiああ、おやすみなさい。