Basic but very useful greetings in Japanese

Basic but very useful greetings in Japanese
Japanese Greetings for Everyday Life

おはようございます！
Ohayou gozaimasu
Good morning!

こんにちは!
Konnichiwa
Hello or Good afternoon

こんばんは!
Konbanwa
Good evening

おやすみなさい!
Oyasumi nasai
Goodnight

いい天気ですね！
Ii tenki desu ne
Good weather, huh!

お元気ですか?
ogenki desu ka
How are you?
=> It is common to greet everyone with “How are you?” in English; it’s not the case in Japanese.
You use this phrase most of the time when it’s been some time since you’ve met the person.

お久しぶりです！
ohisashiburi desu
Long time, no see!

おひさしぶりです。おげんきですか？
Ohisashiburi desu. Ogenkidesuka?
Long time, no see! How are you?

さようなら！
sayounara
See you later or Goodbye

ただいまー
Tadaima
I’m home
=> When someone comes back/returns home, they say this phrase. Then, whoever is home replies…

おかえりなさい!
okaeri nasai
Welcome home or Welcome back
=> You can also use these two phrases to greet a coworker if they’ve returned to work from somewhere else, like a business meeting or trip.

失礼します
shitsurei shimasu
Please excuse me (for leaving)
=>There are several different meanings of this phrase. But the basic use is when you leave ahead of someone else, you say this as an apology for leaving before them.

お疲れ様でした
otsukaresama deshita
Thanks for your hard work
=>You say this in reply to 失礼します (“please excuse me for leaving”) as a thank you for their hard work that day, but it can be used in many other situations

Read more:
Learn Basic Japanese Greetings – Part 1
Learn Basic Japanese Greetings – Part 2