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Japanese people greet each other in many different ways depending on the time of day. Some greetings also differ depending on the relationship you have with the person you are greeting. In this post, we will demonstrate how to say good morning in Japanese.

Informal way to say good morning in Japanese:

People will say “ ohayo “ when you see your friend in the morning. In hiragana , it is written: おはよう and pronounced “oh-high-yoh,” similar to the pronunciation of the state “Ohio”. This greeting is casual, and should not be used with your boss.

Example: when you see your friend, Jack. You can say “ ohayo, jack “ but you can not say “ ohayo, Mr.Smith “ when you want to say good morning to your boss – Mr.Smith. You are able to be fired or receive a warning glance from your chief. So, using the true sentence with the true way in the true situation.

Anyway , saying good morning in Japanese is one of the first things you should study when learning Japanese, right after learning hiragana and katakana.

Formal way to say good morning in Japanese

The formal way to say good morning in Japanese is saying “ohayo gozaimasu.” –(おはようございます) This phrase is pronounced “oh-high-yoh go-zah-ee-moss,” with the letter “u” silent. Accompany the phrase “gbowing in japanood morning” with a deep bow between 15 and 45 degrees at the waist if greeting someone formally and politely, or when greeting a superior. The body makes there are three types of bowing 会釈 (eshaku) or greeting bowing – 15 degrees, kei rei (kanji symbols: 敬礼) or respect bowing – 30 degrees and 最敬礼(saikei rei) or highest respect bowing – 45 degrees. A deeper, longer bow indicates respect and conversely a small nod with the head is casual and informal. You should pay special attention to choosing an appropriate way to deliver the greeting “good morning” in formal situations when spending time in Japan.

Remember to make a habit of saying “good morning” to all people you interact with when spending time in Japan or with people of Japanese origin (which is also a good way to learn Japanese). Japanese culture considers it rude not to greet someone when the moment presents itself, or to greet someone in an offhand, lazy manner.