こんにちは

• Reading: こんにちは
• Romaji: konnichiwa
• Kanji breakdown: 今 (kon/ima) — now, present; 日 (nichi/hi) — day, sun
• Pronunciation: /koɴ.ni.tɕi.wa/

Meaning

Hello; good day; good afternoon. The most common general greeting.

Used from late morning through the evening as a general-purpose greeting. Written in kanji as 今日は, but almost always written in hiragana in modern usage. Unlike おはよう, there is no casual/polite distinction — the form stays the same in all situations.

Examples

1. こんにちは、元気ですか。 Hello, how are you?
2. 隣の人にこんにちはと言った。 I said hello to the person next to me.
3. こんにちは、田中さん。 Hello, Mr. Tanaka.

Usage Guide

Context: daily greetings, meeting people, general conversation

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Originally part of the longer phrase 今日はご機嫌いかがですか (How are you feeling today?). Over time, only 今日は remained as the greeting.

Cultural Context

Era: Edo period

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal