Good Morning in Japanese – How to Say it and Other Greetings

In this lesson, we’re focusing on how to say “good morning” in Japanese. Like English people, the Japanese also greet each other at different times of the day. Especially in Japan, where being polite is important, this phrase is useful to know and can brighten someone’s day!

Do you greet your family and friends in the morning? We got you! We will not only teach you the Japanese way to say “good morning.” We’ll also give you a brief lecture on Japanese culture regarding greetings and a new vocabulary list related to the forenoon.

Different ways to say “Good Morning” in Japanese

Without a doubt, the first thing we learn in a new language is how to greet people. Friendly greetings are very basic to speaking communication. Especially a cheerful morning greeting makes a day nice and fresh.

Just like English, Good morning/Good afternoon/Good evening/Good night is standard daily greetings in Japan. Japanese people use おはようございます (ohayou gozaimasu | good morning) from early morning to around 10:30 AM. They then switch to こんにちは (konnichiwa | good afternoon), こんばんは (konbanwa | good evening), and おやすみなさい (oyasuminasai | good night).

However, Japanese people don’t use the phrase good afternoon or hello as much compared to the western world. Instead, they use good morning in broader situations. Let’s start with a basic Japanese greeting おはようございます (ohayou gozaimasu)!

Formal Japanese Greeting

Ohayou gozaimasu (おはようございます | お早う御座います)

It’s a formal greeting for good morning in Japan. Japanese people use this when talking to older people, the people they respect, and the people they meet for the first time. Also, it’s expected in teacher-students relations or business relations.

Tips for a formal greeting

Although it’s unnecessary, you can bow and greet if you want to show some respect. In that case, don’t bow deeper than 30 degrees. If you want to keep the greeting warm and friendly, just give a slight nod called えしゃく (eshaku | 会釈) instead of a bow, おじぎ (ojigi | お辞儀).

Informal Japanese Greeting

Ohayou (おはよう | お早う)

The informal Japanese greeting is used widely among friends, family members, and coworkers. Usually, good ｍorning greetings between friends are casual and slang-like.

Tips for an informal greeting

If you’re unsure when to speak Japanese informally, you can always follow how the other person communicates. A friendly mood and positive attitude are contagious, so you don’t need to be nervous about using informal Japanese greetings.

Japanese Greeting Variations for Good Morning

“Good morning” in the Japanese language doesn’t only translate to their informal and formal versions above. There are more variations of it that we have listed below.

Slang Greetings

• おはよー (ohayoo)
• おっはー (ohhaa)
• おは (oha)
• はよん (hayon)
• おっす (ossu)*
• よっす (yossu)*

*also for Hey or Hi, a little mannish phrase.

Internet Slang Greetings

• おは (oha)
• おはあり (ohaari)*
• 乙 (otsu) *Also, otsukaresama (おつかれさま | good work)
• あさがきたー(asa ga kita | 朝がキタ) *The morning has come.

*good morning, and thank you.

Emoticon Greetings

Here are the interpretations of some cute かおもじ (kaomoji | 顔文字 | emoticon) for good morning. You can also create your Emoticon for fun!

• ｵﾊﾖ━━(｡･∀･)ﾉ━━ｺﾞｻﾞｲﾏｽ
• ٩(ˆ ˆ๑)۶おはよー
• ‪ฅˆ•ﻌ•ˆฅ♡Ⴛ̅̀∣ժ̅ ꒭~੭ੇ♡
• ΟΗΑΥΘ–(‘Α’dp)))–!!
• ցօօժ ʍօɾղíղց(｡•◡•｡)⸝⋆

Regional Variations

People around Tokyo speak the standard Japanese language, though there are many dialects in Japan. Here are some examples.

• おはよう (ohayou) *Tokyo
• おはやがんす (ohayagansu ) *Iwate, Yamagata
• はやえなっす (hayaenassu) *Yamagata, Fukushima
• おはようさん (ohayousan) *Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara
• おはようあります (ohayouarimasu) *Hiroshima, Yamaguchi
• あだっごあした (adaddaashita) *Kagoshima
• うきみそーちー (ukimisoochi) *Okinawa *commonly spoken area

10 Ideas of How to Answer “Good Morning” in Japanese

Even though greeting each other is a communication basis in our society, we sometimes wonder what we should reply to or how to continue the conversation in a foreign language. But don’t worry, we suggest you some tips for a friendly reply. Once you picture it, you can merrily go around Japan and meet new people.

If someone says good morning to you, you would reply the same and then:

1. It’s a beautiful morning.

• 爽やかな朝ですね。
• さわやかなあさですね
• Sawayakana asa desu ne.

2. It’s a nice day, today.

• 今日は、とても気持ちが良い天気です。
• きょうは、とてもきもちがよいてんきです。
• Kyouwa, totemo kimochi ga yoi tenki desu.

3. It’s getting warmer/ It’s getting colder lately.

• 近頃、だんだん暖かく/だんだん寒くなって来ましたね。
• ちかごろ、だんだんあたたかく/だんだんさむく なってきましたね。
• Chikagoro, dandan atatakaku/dandan samuku nattekimashita ne.

4. Did you sleep well last night?

• 昨日は良く眠れましたか？
• きのうはよくねむれましたか？
• Kinou wa yoku nemuremashita ka?

5. What are your plans for today?

• 今日の予定は何ですか？
• きょうのよていはなんですか？
• Kyou no yotei wa nan desu ka?

6. Let’s do our best day today, too.

• 今日も一日頑張りましょう。
• きょうもいちにちがんばりましょう。
• Kyou mo ichinichi ganbarimashou.

7. I’m looking forward to working together. / Please take care of me today.

• 今日はよろしくお願いします。
• きょうはよろしくおねがいします。
• Kyou wa yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

8. Have a nice day.

• 良い一日を。
• よいいちにちを。
• Yoi ichinichi wo.

9. See you later.

• また後で会いましょう。
• またあとであいましょう。
• Mata ato de aimashou.

10. Wishing you a safe journey.

• 気を付けて行って来てください。
• きをつけていってきてください。
• Ki wo tsukete ittekite kudasai.

Words/Phrases related to “Morning” in Japanese

Getting familiar with new vocabulary is always interesting. Let’s learn new Japanese words and phrases. You can use the following words both in formal situations and informal situations.

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji
AM, morning	朝	あさ	asa
dawn	暁	あかつき	akatsuki
breakfast	朝食	ちょうしょく	choushoku
breakfast	朝ご飯	あさごはん	asagohan
wake-up	起床	きしょう	kishou
awake, awakening	目覚め	めざめ	mezame
wake-up call	モーニングコール	もーにんぐこーる	mooningucooru
alarm clock	目覚まし時計	めざましどけい	mezamashidokei
sunrise	朝焼け	あさやけ	asayake
sunrise	日の出	ひので	hinode
oversleep	朝寝坊	あさねぼう	asanebou
bed hair	寝癖	ねぐせ	neguse
drowsiness, sleepiness	眠気	ねむけ	nemuke
early bird	朝型	あさがた	asagata
night owl	夜型	よるがた	yorugata

Idioms and Proverbs

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji
early morning	朝っ腹	あさっぱら	asappara
a piece of cake	朝飯前	あさめしまえ	asameshimae
early to bed and early to rise	早寝早起き	はやねはやおき	hayane hayaoki
in a short period of time	一朝一夕	いっちょういっせき	icchou isseki
The early bird catches the worm.	朝起きは三文の徳	あさおきはさんもんのとく	asaoki wa sanmon no toku
Life is short like morning dew.	人生朝露の如し	じんせいちょうろのごとし	jinsei chouro no gotoshi
A night owl sleeps in.	宵っ張りの朝寝坊	よいっぱりのあさねぼう	yoippari no asanebou

Vocabulary associated with Japanese Morning

You can claim yourself an “almost Japanese” if you know more than five words and phrases from the list below. Despite some considerably intriguing Japanese customs, there is some infamous vocabulary you probably don’t want to experience. However, these are all a part of the archetypal Japanese culture and society.

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji
over-crowded train	満員電車	まんいんでんしゃ	manindensha
rush hour	通勤ラッシュ	つうきんらっしゅ	tsuukinrasshu
rush hour	ラッシュ時	らっしゅじ	rasshuji
radio calisthenics	ラジオ体操	らじおたいそう	rajiotaisou
morning assembly	朝礼	ちょうれい	chourei
TV drama program in the morning*	朝ドラ	あさどら	asadora
to make a packed lunch box	お弁当作	おべんとうづくり	obentouzukuri
to eat Ramen noodles in the morning**	朝ラーメン	あさらーめん	asa Ramen
to go back to sleep	二度寝	にどね	nidone
hangover	二日酔い	ふつかよい	futsukayoi
morning activities to fulfilling one's daily life	朝活	あさかつ	asa katsu
early morning jogging	早朝ジョギング	そうちょうじょぎんぐ	souchou Joggingu
morning yoga	朝ヨガ	あさよが	asa yoga
to take a shower or bath in the morning***	朝風呂	あさぶろ	asaburo

*also known as れんぞくてれびしょうせつ (renzokuterebi shousetsu | 連続テレビ小説)

**sometimes abbreviated to あさらー (asaraa | 朝ラー)

***it’s common to have a shower at night in Japan

Common Japanese Morning Routine

Here is the list of the typical morning routine あさのしゅうかん (asa no shuukan | 朝の習慣) in Japan. Most of them should be familiar to you, but let’s look at how to say them in the Japanese language.

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji
to get ready	身支度を整える	みじたくをととのえる	mijitaku wo totonoeru
to brush one's teeth	歯磨きをする	はみがきをする	hamigaki wo suru
to wash one's face	顔を洗う	かおをあらう	kao wo arau
to read the newspaper	新聞を読む	しんぶんをよむ	shinbun wo yomu
to listen to the radio	ラジオを聞く	らじおをきく	rajio wo kiku
to use the internet	インターネットをする	いんたーねっとをする	intaanetto wo suru
to watch the weather forecast	天気予報を見る	てんきよほうをみる	tenkiyohou wo miru
to clean up	掃除をする	そうじをする	souji wo suru
to do the laundry	洗濯をする	せんたくをする	sentaku wo suru
to do the housework	家事をする	かじをする	kanji wo suru

What Time? Words define the Morning Time

While listening to some Japanese news, you might have noticed specific words to note during the morning hours. According to Japan Meteorological Agency, the subdivision of the time of the day is below.

The exact interpretation may be slightly different in each TV or Radio station, but this would be helpful knowledge to have when you get detailed information concerning weather, earthquakes, and breaking news in Japan.

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji
gray of the morning, from 0:00 am to 3:00 am or before sunrise	未明	みめい	mimei
dawn, before sunrise	夜明け	よあけ	yoake
dawn, about 2 hours before sunrise ☆	夜明け前	よあけまえ	yoakemae
dawn, from 3:00 am to 6:00 am	明け方	あけがた	akegata
dawn, about 2 hours before sunrise ☆	明け方前	あけがたまえ	akegatamae
early morning	早朝	そうちょう	souchou
morning, from 6:00 am to 9:00 am ★	朝	あさ	asa
morning, from 6:00 am to 9:00 am ★	朝方	あさがた	asagata
from 0:00 am to 0:00 pm	午前中	ごぜんちゅう	gozenchuu
morning and evening, from 0:00 am to 9:00 am and from 6:00 pm to 0:00 am	朝晩	あさばん	asaban
morning and evening, from 0:00 am to 9:00 am and from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm	朝夕	あさゆう、ちょうせき	asayuu, chouseki
this morning	今朝	けさ	kesa
next morning	明朝	みょうちょう	myouchou

Note: Those with ☆★ are identical

Other Japanese Daily Greetings

Apart from “good morning,” there are also other greetings in Japanese that you might hear every day.

Formal form

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji
good morning	お早う御座います	おはようございます	ohayou gozaimasu
hello or good afternoon	今日は	こんにちは	konnichiwa
good evening	今晩は	こんばんは	konbanwa
good night	お休みなさい	おやすみなさい	oyasumi nasai
how are you?	元気ですか？	げんきですか？	genki desuka?
how have you been?	お元気でしたか？	おげんきでしたか？	ogenki deshitaka?
I haven't seen you for a long time	ご無沙汰しています	ごぶさたしています	gobusata shiteimasu
goodbye	左様なら	さようなら	sayounara
goodbye		さよなら	sayonara

Informal Form

English	Kanji	Hiragana	Romaji
good morning	お早う	おはよう	ohayou
hello or good afternoon	今日は	こんにちは	konnichiwa
hello		やあ	yaa
how are you?	元気？	げんき？	genki?
long time no see	久し振り	ひさしぶり	hisashiburi
hello, thanks		どうも	doumo
bye	バイバイ	ばいばい	baibai
see you		また	mata
take care	気を付けて	きをつけて	ki wo tsukete
take care and have a safe trip	気を付けて帰ってね	きをつけてかえってね	ki wo tsukete kaette ne
good night	お休み	おやすみ	oyasumi

Learning Japanese with Positive Attitude

What do greetings mean to you? Greetings are simply an act of communication, a part of social manners, and could also be a security and safety confirmation to each other. They can be an aid to make the conversations smoother at times, even though Japanese people put importance on greeting people way more than that.

The Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs has been surveying the Public opinion survey on the national language since 1995. As a result of this survey, they found out that many Japanese people believe the beauty of the Japanese language lives in compassionate communication, humble and modest expressions, words associated with seasons and nature, and Japanese greetings.

Today, we learned when and how to greet “good morning” in Japan. People in Japan often say that a pleasant day starts with a cheery attitude and warm greetings. Let’s start a day with a nice “ohayou!”

がんばってください (Ganbatte kudasai)! ^^