Saying Hello

One of the questions that I'm often asked by Americans is how to say hello. They want to be friendly, so they ask me how they should say hello in Japanese.

it's a surprisingly difficult question. There are at least two parts to the answer. First, there are three phrases that are sort of comparable to hello. "Ohio gozaimasu" is something that you say the first time you see a coworker or someone you know in the morning. Like good morning. "Konichiwa" is for the middle of the day. Somewhat like good day. And then there is "konbanwa" which is similar to good evening.

Second, though, is that for Japanese interaction, you need to know who you are talking to. In America, it's not unusual to say hello to everyone. With a cheery smile, a "hi" can greet anyone.

Not so in Japan. Oh, I get away with greeting a variety of people, but part of that is my foreign charm - they know I'm crazy. To be honest, you should only greet people who you know, who you have been introduced to. And in many cases, instead of hello, you will simply nod or bow in passing.

Or more commonly, you will use what I call consensus statements. It's hot today, isn't it? It's cold, isn't it? Or some other observation about the weather that is blatantly obvious.

Don't miss the chance to comment on the sakura blossoms or other common events.

There are also some apologies that are good. I'm sorry to interrupt you at such a busy time. Excuse me for asking, but . . .

Oh, or the ever-popular I haven't seen you in a while.

Such easy-to-agree-to statements are a pretty common substitute for hello. And indeed, I think they serve much the same purpose.

Unfortunately, I can't really provide a simple translation for hello.

And don't ask me about goodbye, because that's another problem!