Greetings & Social Phrases

Introduction

Formal Japanese greetings are taught in every textbook, but real casual Japanese sounds very different. From おつ (casual goodbye) to よろ (short for よろしく), these are the greetings Japanese people actually use with friends.

This chapter covers casual greetings and social phrases for everyday Japanese life.

Themes

All Japanese Slang in This Chapter (80)

1. よろ よろ A casual abbreviation of よろしく, used as a quick 'please' or 'nice to meet you' in informal settings.
2. おはよー おはよー A casual, drawn-out version of おはよう (good morning), often used in relaxed or playful settings.
3. お疲れ おつかれ A casual way to say 'good work,' 'thanks for your effort,' or simply a greeting used when finishing work or meeting colleagues.
4. おやすー おやすー A casual, abbreviated way to say goodnight, shortened from おやすみ.
5. おつかれさまです おつかれさまです A polite expression meaning 'thank you for your hard work,' used as a greeting, farewell, and acknowledgment in the workplace.
6. お先 おさき A casual way to say 'I'm heading out first' when leaving before others, shortened from お先に失礼します.
7. ノシ ノシ An emoticon representing a waving hand, used as 'bye-bye' in text-based communication.
8. またね またね A casual way to say 'see you later' or 'bye for now.'
9. バイバイ バイバイ Bye-bye, borrowed from English. A cheerful, casual farewell.
10. おかえり おかえり Welcome back — said to someone who has just returned home or to a group.
11. ただいま ただいま I'm back / I'm home — announced upon returning to one's home or group.
12. 久しぶり ひさしぶり Long time no see — used when meeting someone you haven't seen in a while.
13. ひさびさ ひさびさ It's been a while — a casual, softer variant of 久しぶり.
14. 元気？ げんき How are you? / You doing okay? — a casual way to check on someone.
15. 調子どう？ ちょうしどう How's it going? How are things? — a casual check-in on someone's condition or situation.
16. お邪魔します おじゃまします Excuse me for intruding — said when entering someone else's home or personal space.
17. 失礼します しつれいします Excuse me — a polite phrase used when entering or leaving a room, interrupting, or excusing oneself.
18. いただきます いただきます Thanks for the food — said before eating as an expression of gratitude.
19. ごちそうさま ごちそうさま Thanks for the meal — said after eating to express gratitude.
20. おめでとー おめでとー Congratulations — a casual, cheerful way to celebrate someone's achievement or happy occasion.
21. あざっす あざっす Thanks — a slangy, ultra-casual abbreviation of ありがとうございます.
22. サンキュー サンキュー Thank you — borrowed from English, used as a casual expression of gratitude.
23. サンクス サンクス Thanks — from English 'thanks,' a quick casual expression of gratitude.
24. ありがとう ありがとう Thank you — the standard casual expression of gratitude in Japanese.
25. すまん すまん Sorry — a casual, masculine apology derived from すみません.
26. すみません すみません Excuse me / Sorry / Thank you — a versatile polite expression covering apology, gratitude, and getting attention.
27. ごめんね ごめんね Sorry — a soft, friendly apology used between close people.
28. メンゴ メンゴ My bad — a playful, lighthearted slang apology.
29. どうも どうも Hey / Thanks / Hi — an incredibly versatile word used as a casual greeting, thanks, or filler.
30. ちわ ちわ Yo / Hey — a very casual, truncated greeting from こんにちは.
31. うぃっす うぃっす Sup / Hey — a very casual bro-style greeting or acknowledgment.
32. やっほー やっほー Yoo-hoo, hey there — a cheerful, playful greeting.
33. ヤッホー ヤッホー Hey there — the katakana version of やっほー, with a cute/playful emphasis.
34. はろー はろー Hello — a casual Japanese rendering of English 'hello.'
35. こんちゃ こんちゃ Hiya — a cutesy, abbreviated version of こんにちは.
36. お世話になっております おせわになっております Thank you for your continued support — the standard opening line in Japanese business emails.
37. よろしくお願いします よろしくおねがいします Please take care of it / Nice to meet you / I look forward to working with you — one of the most important Japanese social phrases.
38. かしこまりました かしこまりました Certainly / Understood — a very formal, humble acknowledgment used primarily in the service industry.
39. ういっす ういっす Yo / Roger — a casual greeting or acknowledgment, variant spelling of うぃっす.
40. らじゃ らじゃ Roger — a playful way to say 'understood' or 'got it,' from English 'roger.'
41. りょうかい りょうかい A casual way to say 'roger,' 'understood,' or 'got it' — the go-to acknowledgment among friends and peers.
42. なるほど なるほど An expression meaning 'I see,' 'that makes sense,' or 'ah, now I understand' — used to show comprehension or agreement.
43. だよね だよね A conversational tag meaning 'right?' or 'I know, right?' — used to seek agreement or confirm a shared opinion.
44. お疲れ様でした おつかれさまでした A polite expression meaning 'thank you for your hard work' or 'good job today,' used at the end of a work day, event, or shared effort.
45. いってきます いってきます A set phrase meaning 'I'm heading out' or 'I'll go and come back,' said when leaving home.
46. いってらっしゃい いってらっしゃい A set response meaning 'have a good day' or 'take care and come back safely,' said to someone leaving home.
47. お大事に おだいじに A caring expression meaning 'take care of yourself' or 'get well soon,' said to someone who is sick or unwell.
48. 無理しないでね むりしないでね A caring phrase meaning 'don't push yourself too hard' or 'don't overdo it,' used to show concern for someone's wellbeing.
49. 頑張って がんばって An encouraging expression meaning 'do your best,' 'good luck,' or 'hang in there' — one of the most iconic Japanese phrases.
50. 応援してる おうえんしてる A supportive expression meaning 'I'm rooting for you' or 'I'm cheering you on' — warmer and more personal than 頑張って.
51. ファイト ファイト An encouraging exclamation meaning 'you can do it!' or 'go for it!' — borrowed from English 'fight' but used purely as encouragement.
52. おひさ おひさ A casual abbreviation of お久しぶり, meaning 'long time no see' — breezy and friendly.
53. よろしくね よろしくね A casual way to say 'nice to meet you,' 'let's get along,' or 'I'm counting on you' — the friendly version of よろしくお願いします.
54. よろです よろです A semi-casual abbreviation of よろしくお願いします, meaning 'please and thanks' or 'looking forward to it' — polite but breezy.
55. お待たせ おまたせ A casual way to say 'sorry for the wait' or 'thanks for waiting' — used when arriving late or keeping someone waiting.
56. 気にしないで きにしないで A reassuring phrase meaning 'don't worry about it' or 'never mind' — used to put someone at ease after a mistake or apology.
57. 大丈夫 だいじょうぶ An ultra-versatile word meaning 'it's fine,' 'I'm okay,' 'no problem,' or even 'no thanks' — context determines everything.
58. 全然大丈夫 ぜんぜんだいじょうぶ An emphatic reassurance meaning 'totally fine' or 'no problem at all' — stronger than plain 大丈夫.
59. いえいえ いえいえ A humble deflection meaning 'no no' or 'don't mention it' — used to modestly dismiss thanks or praise.
60. とんでもないです とんでもないです A polite deflection meaning 'not at all' or 'you're too kind' — used to humbly deny praise or thanks.
61. こちらこそ こちらこそ A reciprocal expression meaning 'likewise,' 'same to you,' or 'I should be the one saying that' — redirects thanks or praise back.
62. 助かります たすかります A grateful expression meaning 'that helps a lot' or 'I really appreciate it' — warmer and more personal than ありがとう.
63. 恐れ入ります おそれいります A very polite expression meaning 'I'm sorry to trouble you' or 'thank you for your kindness' — used in formal and customer-facing contexts.
64. 恐縮です きょうしゅくです A highly formal expression meaning 'I'm much obliged' or 'I feel unworthy of your kindness' — the ultimate humble acknowledgment.
65. おっす おっす A very casual masculine greeting meaning 'hey' or 'yo' — punchy and energetic.
66. おつおつ おつおつ A playful doubling of おつ (short for おつかれ), used as a cute way to say 'good work' or 'bye' online.
67. おは おは A super-short texting abbreviation of おはよう, meaning 'morning' or 'mornin'' — the laziest possible good morning.
68. ちーっす ちーっす A very casual, slurred greeting meaning 'hey' or ''sup' — a lazy version of こんにちは used among young men.
69. うーっす うーっす An extremely casual, drawn-out greeting meaning 'heyyy' or 'yo' — the laziest possible hello among close friends.
70. どーも どーも An ultra-flexible casual greeting that can mean 'hey,' 'thanks,' 'hi,' or 'sorry' — the Swiss army knife of Japanese greetings.
71. ばいちゃ ばいちゃ A cute abbreviation of バイバイ meaning 'bye-bye' — playful and popular in texting among younger speakers.
72. またよろ またよろ A super-casual farewell meaning 'see you again, looking forward to it' — combines また (again) with よろしく (best regards).
73. お疲れっす おつかれっす A slangy, contracted form of お疲れ様です meaning 'good work' — casual but retaining a hint of politeness.
74. お元気で おげんきで A warm farewell meaning 'take care' or 'stay well' — used when parting from someone you may not see for a while.
75. はじめまして はじめまして The standard self-introduction phrase meaning 'nice to meet you' — now also used humorously online when 'rediscovering' something.
76. おっすおっす おっすおっす A doubled, energetic version of おっす meaning 'hey hey!' — a lively casual greeting popular among streamers and gamers.
77. おかー おかー A lazy, drawn-out abbreviation of おかえり meaning 'welcome back' — used in chat and texting.
78. ただいまー ただいまー A casual, elongated version of ただいま meaning 'I'm home!' — also used when returning to social media or a chat group.
79. おつかれ おつかれ The go-to peer-level farewell meaning 'good work' or 'see ya' — shorter and more casual than お疲れ様です.
80. 参上 さんじょう A dramatic exclamation meaning 'I have arrived!' or 'I'm here!' — used humorously for grand entrances.