Greetings by time of day

The words

How they differ

Pick by the clock and the situation:

Morning hello → おはようございます (casual: おはよう)

Daytime hello → こんにちは

Evening hello → こんばんは

Heading to sleep / leaving for the night → おやすみなさい (casual: おやすみ)

こんにちは and こんばんは are greetings when you meet someone — not "goodbye." For leaving, other phrases take over (また あした, etc.).

Note: some of these may also appear in Common Phrases. This lesson locks the time map for stories.

Day arc: wake · day · evening · sleep. おはよう = morning, こんにちは = daytime hello, こんばんは = evening hello, おやすみ = rest.

One line: おはよう・こんにちは・こんばんは・おやすみ.

Next: Thanks and you're welcome: ありがとう ございます / どういたしまして.

See it in a sentence

1. ohayou gozaimasu

   おはようございます。

   Good morning. (polite)

2. konnichiwa

   こんにちは。

   Hello. / Good afternoon.

3. konbanwa

   こんばんは。

   Good evening.

4. oyasuminasai

   おやすみなさい。

   Good night.

5. ohayou!

   おはよう!

   Morning! (casual)

Watch out

こんにちは / こんばんは = hello (meet) — not goodbye when you leave おはようございます = morning greeting — can run later in workplaces than English "morning" sometimes does おやすみなさい = good night (rest) — not a daytime hello

Try it

1. In your next story, find one greeting. Name the time pocket: morning, day, evening, or night.

   Check against the lesson cluster and say it out loud.