こんばんは

• Reading: こんばんは
• Romaji: konbanwa
• Kanji breakdown: 今 (kon/ima) — now, present; 晩 (ban) — evening, night
• Pronunciation: /koɴ.baɴ.wa/

Meaning

Good evening. A greeting used after sunset or in the evening hours.

Written in kanji as 今晩は, but almost always appears in hiragana. Like こんにちは, it has no casual/polite variation. Typically used from around sunset onward when meeting someone for the first time that evening.

Examples

1. こんばんは、お元気ですか。 Good evening, how are you?
2. 夜の散歩で友達にこんばんはと言った。 I said good evening to a friend during my evening walk.
3. こんばんは、今日は寒いですね。 Good evening, it's cold today, isn't it?

Usage Guide

Context: evening greetings, social events, meeting neighbors

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From 今晩は (this evening), originally part of a longer greeting 今晩はいかがですか. The abbreviated form became the standard evening greeting.

Cultural Context

Era: Edo period

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal