How to Say ‘Good morning.’ in Japanese
おはようございます。
ohayou gozai masu
[oh-hah-yoh goh-zah-ee mahs]
🇯🇵 In Japan: This is polite and standard, but mostly used in the morning; after that, switch to [こんにちは]. In shops, offices, or hotels, you'll hear it as a routine greeting rather than a personal warm hello.
Phrase Breakdown
おはよう
ohayou
[oh-hah-yoh]
good morning
A common morning greeting in Japanese.
先生、おはようございます。
Good morning, teacher.
ござい
gozai
[goh-zah-ee]
to be; polite honorific part
Part of the polite expression ございます, adding formality to greetings and set phrases.
おめでとうございます。
Congratulations.
ます
masu
[mahs]
polite ending
A polite verb ending used in formal expressions.
ありがとうございます。
Thank you very much.
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