Q&A for How to Say Hello in Japanese

The Japanese word "hai" is most commonly translated as meaning "yes." However, this translation is not exactly accurate. It's better to think of "hai" as meaning "I agree with you" or "this is correct."

To say "please" in Japanese, say "onegaishimasu" (pronounced, roughly, oh-nee-guy-is-shee-muss). It is written お願いします in hiragana.

You still have to bow. It's Japanese tradition. When I meet eyes with someone, I usually bow even if they're a stranger. It has nothing to do with whether you like someone or not.

Gomen'nasai.

To say good afternoon in Japanese, you would say 'konnichiwa.' You can also use this to say "hello" at any time of the day.

You can find Japanese tutors in your area by looking online, but if there aren't any, you can find an online tutor or educational website to help.

You would say: "ohayō gozaimasu." If you'd like to be less formal and more casual, you could just say: "ohayō."

Hire a tutor, but if you can't, then use an app called Memrise.

"Arigato" means thank you (casual) or you can say "arigato gosaimas" (formal)

"Ogenkidesuka?" It's a question. "Genki" usually means "good health" or "happy" in general, so this means "Are you doing well?"

Was it possible that it was "ra-sha-i-mashai"? If so, that means welcome. If you go to Japan, people that work in stores will also say it.

You say "arigato-gozaimasu," which is the formal way, or "arigato," which is 'thanks' in English.

It's usually pronounced as "Ja ne", although instead of goodbye, that means "Cya" or "Talk to you again soon". "Sayanara" is saying goodbye, and never see you again - usually said to co-workers when you are fired or quit.

In Japanese it is "Anata kakoii". Another way to say it, but more slang, is "Kakoii ze!"

Yes. If it is your sensei (teacher) and you have a question, say, "Shitsureishimasu" ("Excuse me").

Say "konbawa." It's normally used after you eat, so be careful when you use it.

You could say, YAHO [Ya-hoe], this is a little joking thingy, but you could say KONCHIKUWA [Con-chi-koo-wa] like KONICHIWA, but a little mixed up.

Yes. It's actually "ossu", an informal way of greeting used by close male friends or relatives.

Using Japanese words in public constantly can improve your fluency. Practice with real life situations, like going to a local ramen bar or a sushi place. Teaching friends and family can also help.

Watashi wa, anata o aishiteimasu.

You say "konbanwa."

"Anata wa kawaii desu" or "あなた わ かわいい です" as it's spelled in Hiragana.

There isn't really a term for that. You normally say "konichiwa" or "hisashiburi."

You would say, "Anata wa ī tomodachidesu".

You say "tadaima" when you are returning to your place of residence. It roughly translates to, "I'm home."

You say "Konnichiwa, nippon o daihyou shite (name) desk."

Most of the time, your name would be written in Hiragana, which is one of three alphabets in Japanese.

The more formal and polite way of saying excuse me is "sumimasen" ("すみません"). This can't be used to question or challenge someone, however the more informal "suimasen" ("すいません") can.

In Japanese, there is not exact translation that will amount to the same message as "what the heck is wrong with you," but a different way to say it is, "Nani ga kangaete iru no?" This literally translates to "What are you thinking?" but it still conveys the same meaning.

こんいちわ (hiragana). You can download a keyboard for Japanese so you can type in Hirigana, Katakana, and Kanji.