How to Say ‘Good morning.’ in Japanese
おはようございます。
ohayou gozai masu
[oh-ha-yoh goh-zah-ee mahs]
🇯🇵 In Japan: This is a standard polite morning greeting at work. In a kitchen, staff often say it briskly when arriving, even if service has already started.
Phrase Breakdown
おはよう
ohayou
[oh-ha-yoh]
good morning
The greeting part of the full polite morning expression.
あさ、みせに入ったらおはようと言います。
In the morning, when I enter the shop, I say good morning.
ございます
gozai masu
to be; exists
Polite ending used in set greetings like おはようございます to make them formal.
おはようございます。
Good morning.
Words in this phrase
ござい
gozai
[goh-zah-ee]
to be; to exist (polite part of expression)
This stem helps make the greeting very polite and appropriate for work.
ていねいなあいさつで、ございをはっきり言います。
In a polite greeting, I say gozai clearly.
ます
masu
[mahs]
polite verb ending
This ending adds politeness to the greeting.
しごとのあいさつでは、ますがよく使われます。
In work greetings, -masu is often used.
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