Lesson 5: Greetings and Must-Know Travel Phrases
N5 · Lesson 5 · 18 min — Learn them as whole phrases and use them the moment you land in Japan
Every phrase in this lesson is a set phrase. Learn it as one whole piece. No need to break it apart. Think of it like a short song lyric: repeat it with the audio until it flows. First, let's read a four-panel comic!
After this lesson, you can:
- Pick the right greeting for morning, daytime and evening
- Use ありがとうございます and すみません to thank, apologize and get attention
- Say はじめまして and よろしくおねがいします when you meet someone new
- Ask people to say it again or speak more slowly when you don't understand
Rin's Greeting Adventure
The day before school starts. At the hotel, the konbini and the shopping street, Rin practices greetings all the way.
おはよう for morning, ありがとう to thank, すみません when you bump into someone. The bear at the konbini is Kumata, his classmate!
7 must-know greetings
- おはようございます (ohayō gozaimasu): Good morning
- こんにちは (konnichiwa): Hello / Good afternoon
- こんばんは (konbanwa): Good evening
- ありがとうございます (arigatō gozaimasu): Thank you (polite)
- すみません (sumimasen): Excuse me / Sorry
- はじめまして (hajimemashite): Nice to meet you (first meeting)
- よろしくおねがいします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu): Please be kind to me / I look forward to getting to know you
Grammar 1 / 3: Time of day
Japanese greetings change with the time: one for morning, one for daytime, one for evening.
- Morning: おはようございます: From waking up until about 10 a.m. You can say it to teachers, hotel staff and shop staff. Hold the ō in ohayō for one extra beat.
- Daytime: こんにちは: Use it from late morning until early evening. The last character is written は but read wa. It's a fixed spelling, so just read it that way.
- Evening: こんばんは: Say it when you meet someone after dark. The last は is read wa here too. It means "good evening," not "good night" before bed.
- No need to watch the clock: Saying おはようございます at 10:30 is fine. Nobody will mind. A rough time is enough. The most important thing is to smile and speak!
- おはようございます。 — (Morning, at the hotel) Good morning.
- こんにちは。 — (Meeting your teacher in the afternoon) Hello.
- こんばんは。 — (Checking in at night) Good evening.
Grammar 2 / 3: Thanks & Excuse me
Say ありがとうございます to thank. To get attention, apologize or squeeze past, すみません does it all.
- ありがとうございます = Thank you: The polite, everyday thank you. Use it with shop staff, hotel staff and teachers. Hold the ō in arigatō for one extra beat.
- すみません = Excuse me: In a restaurant, just raise your hand and call out すみません! Staff will come over. Use it when you bump into someone or need to get past, too. When someone holds a door or hands you something, Japanese people often say すみません instead of "thank you"—like "sorry for the trouble."
- What about ごめんなさい?: ごめんなさい also means "sorry," but it's more for friends and family. In shops and with strangers, すみません sounds more natural.
- どうも = Quick thanks: When staff give you change or someone holds a door, just nod and say どうも (すみません is also common). With teachers and older people, still use ありがとうございます.
- ありがとうございます。 — (Getting a map) Thank you.
- すみません！ — (Calling staff) Excuse me!
- すみません。 — (Bumping into someone) Sorry.
- どうも。 — (Getting your change) Thanks.
Grammar 3 / 3: First meetings
Meeting someone new: start with はじめまして and end with よろしくおねがいします.
- はじめまして = Nice to meet you: Say it the first time you are properly introduced. After that, go back to the time-of-day greetings.
- よろしくおねがいします = Please be kind to me: Put it at the end, with a bow. If the other person says it too, say よろしくおねがいします back.
- Too long to say smoothly?: No problem. Tap the audio and repeat the whole phrase. You'll get faster each time. Once it flows, you can use it on your first day in Japan.
- はじめまして。よろしくおねがいします。 — Nice to meet you. Please be kind to me.
- よろしくおねがいします。 — (Replying) Please be kind to me, too.
Travel lifesavers
- おねがいします (onegaishimasu): Please / I'd like this
- だいじょうぶです (daijōbu desu): It's okay / No problem
- わかりません (wakarimasen): I don't understand
- わかりました (wakarimashita): I understand / Got it
- もういちど おねがいします (mō ichido onegaishimasu): One more time, please
- ゆっくり おねがいします (yukkuri onegaishimasu): Slowly, please
- いただきます (itadakimasu): Let's eat (said before eating)
- ごちそうさまでした (gochisōsama deshita): Thank you for the meal (after eating)
- どうも (dōmo): Thanks (short)