Konnichiwa

When we greet someone in the afternoon, we say:

Konnichiwa

However, we usually don't use Konnichiwa with our family or close friends.


So think Konnichiwa is the equivalent of "Good afternoon." You don't say "good afternoon" to your family or close frineds, right?


It's the same in Japanese.

How do you say 'Hi'?

Actually, there isn’t a specific phrase for casually greeting friends in Japanese like "hi", "hey", or even "hello".


Some people might say:

Oh

Yoh

Yahho

but it really depends on the person and the context.


Personally, I don't use any of those greetings, except when I see my sister-in-law.


I greet her with Yahho because that's how she greets me. But none of my friends greet me like that.

Yahhō

But there is one greeting that's commonly used among friends, which is:

Otsukare

We usually say it when leaving the office to show appreciation for our coworkers' hard work like "good job".


But we also use it when we meet friends, even though it doesn't really mean "good job" in that context.


Most people don't even know why we say it, but it's a common way to greet each other especially after we enter university.


You can also use it when you send a message to your friend. So when I usually send a message to my friend, I say Otsukare first.

Yahhō

So if you want to greet your Japanese friends in a casual way, you can try saying Otsukare.


By the way, the Keigo version is:

OtsukareSamadesu

Situation
Konnichiwa

When you see your neighbor. *We don't greet our neighbors with Otsukaresamadesu.

Otsukare

When you see your friend.

Konnichiwa

When you greet your teacher. *We don't greet our teacher with Otsukaresamadesu.

Konnichiwa

Greetings between senpai and kōhai. You can also say Otsukare/Otsukaresamadesu.

Otsukare

When you greet your coworkers. It's common to greet coworkers with Otsukare or Otsukaresamadesu and not Konnichiwa.

Otsukaresamadesu

When you greet your boss.

How to say "Hello" in Japanese can be a bit complicated, and there's no one-size-fits-all answer for casual greetings.


As a general rule, stick with Konnichiwa when you're greeting someone you're not very close to.


For those you are close with, particularly if you usually speak in Tameguchi , Otsukare is a common option, or just pay attention to how they greet you, and you can mirror that — like I do with my sister-in-law with Yahhō.

More Info

When we say "hello" on the phone, we say Moshi moshi, and never Konnichiwa.

Moshi moshi
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