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Grammar Notes 1 |  |
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In this chapter, you will learn basic Japanese greetings, such as /ohayou gozaimasu/ “Good morning” and /oyasuminasai/ “Good night”, as well as common ways to say goodbye. You will also be introduced to different levels of politeness in Japanese through simple exchanges. At this stage, greetings are presented in romanization only. The Japanese writing system (hiragana and katakana) will be introduced in Lesson 2. Each greeting in this chapter is accompanied by an audio icon, which allows you to listen to native pronunciation and practice speaking aloud.
Japanese greetings change depending on the level of politeness, which is a fundamental feature of the language. Polite-style greetings are commonly used when speaking to someone older or in a higher social position, such as a teacher, a supervisor, or a senior colleague. Plain-style greetings, on the other hand, are typically used among close friends, classmates, or when speaking to someone younger. This distinction reflects the broader cultural emphasis on respect and social relationships in Japanese society. Choosing an appropriate greeting helps signal how you view your relationship with the other person. By learning when to use polite or plain forms from the beginning, you will develop an important foundation for communicating naturally and appropriately in Japanese.
Some Japanese greetings, such as /kon'nichiwa/ (“hello”) and /konbanwa/ (“good evening”), do not change according to social relationships. In these cases, the same expression is used by both speakers, regardless of age or social status. Even when the spoken greeting remains the same, politeness can still be expressed nonverbally. Speakers may adjust their level of respect through bowing, posture, facial expression, and other gestures. These nonverbal cues play an important role in Japanese communication and often accompany greetings. In this lesson, you will see how verbal greetings and nonverbal behaviors work together. Please watch the instructors’ demonstration to observe how politeness is conveyed through body language as well as speech.
There are different levels of politeness in saying good-bye.
General requests:
Expressions when you hand over something:
Thank-you expressions range from casual to more polite ones. In general, the longer the expression, the more polite it becomes. /arigatou/ is a casual Thank you commonly used for peers, friends and colleagues. By adding /gozaimasu/ at the end, you can make it sound more polite. By adding /doumo/ in front, you can make it sound casually careful. /doumo/ can be used by itself.
There are other expressions not listed above that can be used in more formal situations.
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