{"id":11235,"date":"2016-02-23T12:30:35","date_gmt":"2016-02-23T12:30:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.insidejapantours.com\/?p=11235"},"modified":"2026-02-27T11:54:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T11:54:17","slug":"greetings-earthling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2016\/02\/23\/greetings-earthling\/","title":{"rendered":"Greetings, earthling!"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11235&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11235\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11235&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11235&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11235%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11235\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11235\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p>Lots of people ask us for useful phrases in Japanese to make their travels easier \u2013 and we highly recommend that you do learn a few words here and there to impress your Japanese hosts. As our Senior Operations Assistant, Akiko, quite rightly says: \u201cIt makes us very happy and impressed with your Japanese, and you might get free things!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So, if you want free things, read on\u2026<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>You say hello, I say goodbye, the Japanese say&#8230; a whole bunch of stuff.<\/h2>\n<p>One of the first things you\u2019ll learn in any language (after the swear words, obviously) are greetings. Greetings precede and conclude almost every social interaction we have: they\u2019re the slices of bread that hold the sandwich of conversation together. They\u2019re the perfect place for any language learner to start.<\/p>\n<p>But this is where things begin to get tricky, because the Japanese don\u2019t just make do with a simple \u201chello\u201d, \u201cgoodbye\u201d, and perhaps a \u201chow do you do?\u201d for good measure. That would be far too easy. They are quite simply obsessed with greetings. Like slippers, there have a set for every possible occasion \u2013 whether you\u2019re entering a room, leaving a room, bumping into a colleague at work, or picking your nose. They are never, ever lost for words.<\/p>\n<p>As a foreigner in Japan, you will only ever need to know the tip of the iceberg of Japanese greetings \u2013 and even those will be a source of delight to anyone you try them out on. So unusual is it for the Japanese to hear an outsider speaking their language that the merest indication that you have made the effort to master a word or two will be met with shock, awe, and declarations of your genius. It\u2019s a great feeling, you should try it! (It gets a bit wearing when you\u2019ve been living in Japan for years, but don\u2019t worry about that for now).<\/p>\n<h2>Here are a few to get you started:<\/h2>\n<p><em>Konnichiwa<\/em> \u2013 \u201cHello\u201d<br \/>\n<em>Sayonara<\/em> \u2013 \u201cGoodbye\u201d<br \/>\n<em>Ohayo gozaimasu<\/em> \u2013 \u201cGood morning\u201d (Or, more informally, simply <em>Ohayo<\/em>)<br \/>\n<em>Konbanwa<\/em> \u2013 \u201cGood evening\u201d<br \/>\n<em>Oyasumi nasai<\/em> \u2013 \u201cGood night\u201d<br \/>\n<em>Hajimemashite<\/em> \u2013 \u201cHow do you do?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11241\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11241\" style=\"width: 564px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-rss-image wp-image-11241\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_3896-564x380.jpg\" alt=\"&quot;Moshi moshi.&quot;\" width=\"564\" height=\"380\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_3896-564x380.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_3896-300x202.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_3896-768x518.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_3896-1024x691.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_3896-900x607.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_3896-720x486.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_3896-390x263.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_3896-780x526.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_3896-510x344.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/IMG_3896.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 564px) 100vw, 564px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11241\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Moshi moshi.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>But that&#8217;s only the beginning. There\u2019s also:<\/h2>\n<p><em>Moshi moshi<\/em> \u2013 \u201cHello\u201d (when answering the phone)<br \/>\n<em>Hisashiburi<\/em> \u2013 \u201cHello\u201d (when greeting someone you haven\u2019t seen for a long time)<br \/>\n<em>Itte kimasu<\/em> \u2013 \u201cI\u2019m going out and then coming back\u201d (when leaving the house)<br \/>\n<em>Itterashai<\/em> \u2013 \u201cI\u2019m acknowledging that you\u2019re going and coming back\u201d (reply to itte kimasu)<br \/>\n<em>Tadaima<\/em> \u2013 \u201cI went out and now I\u2019ve come back\u201d<br \/>\n<em>Okaerinasai<\/em> \u2013 \u201cWelcome back\u201d (reply to tadaima)<br \/>\n<em>Itadakimasu<\/em> \u2013 \u201cI\u2019m about to eat my food\u201d<br \/>\n<em>Gochisosama deshita<\/em> \u2013 \u201cI\u2019ve finished my food, it was great\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11237\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11237\" style=\"width: 564px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-rss-image wp-image-11237\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/15566348436_eda93365dc_o-564x423.jpg\" alt=\"&quot;Itadakimasu&quot;\" width=\"564\" height=\"423\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/15566348436_eda93365dc_o-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/15566348436_eda93365dc_o-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/15566348436_eda93365dc_o-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/15566348436_eda93365dc_o-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/15566348436_eda93365dc_o-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/15566348436_eda93365dc_o-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/15566348436_eda93365dc_o-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/15566348436_eda93365dc_o-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/15566348436_eda93365dc_o-510x383.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/15566348436_eda93365dc_o.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 564px) 100vw, 564px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11237\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Itadakimaaaaaaasu<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>And then&#8230;<\/h2>\n<p>And then there are the greetings that belong to the world of Japanese <em>keigo<\/em>, or polite language. This is where we really get into the realms of the untranslatable \u2013 because Japanese honorific language is a force unto itself. Any English interpretation can only ever be a poor approximation, because this level of politeness just <em>doesn\u2019t exist in our brains<\/em>. Here are just a few examples, complete with cack-handed explanations that you absolutely shouldn\u2019t take as gospel:<\/p>\n<h3><strong><em>Yoroshiku onegaishimasu<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This is a phrase that\u2019s used a lot in Japanese, and funnily enough nobody can really tell you what it means. Sometimes is means \u201cnice to meet you\u201d, sometimes it means \u201csend my regards\u201d, sometimes it means \u201cplease help me\u201d\u2026 usually I just say it and hope for the best. I\u2019m not going to attempt to demystify it any further, because <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tofugu.com\/2011\/02\/23\/yoroshiku-onegaishimasu-meaning\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tofugu has already done it<\/a> infinitely better than I ever could.<\/p>\n<h3><em>Otsukaresama desu<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>This is what the Japanese say when they bump into a colleague (in the corridor for example), or when they&#8217;ve finished work for the day. It roughly translates as \u201cthank you for working so hard\u201d, but there are more subtleties to it than that (subtleties that are beyond me, I am perfectly ready to admit). The hairdresser says it to you when you\u2019ve had a haircut, for instance. Don\u2019t ask me why.<\/p>\n<p>When I worked in a Japanese hotel, I noticed that the number of syllables people bothered to pronounce was inversely proportional to their rank: more senior = fewer syllables. Fresh-off-the-boat interns like myself would say the full <em>otsukaresama desu<\/em> with a little bow for good measure, but then there was a diminishing scale running from <em>otsukaresama<\/em> through <em>otsukare<\/em>, then <em>otsu<\/em>, finally ending in the stony-faced \u201c<em>ssss<\/em>\u201d uttered by the older gentlemen of the hotel. But enough about <em>otsukaresama desu<\/em>.<\/p>\n<h3><em>Irrashaimase<\/em><\/h3>\n<p><em>Irrashaimase<\/em> is a word you will definitely hear if you visit Japan. In fact, it will be ringing in your ears long after you\u2019ve returned home.<\/p>\n<p>The klaxon call of the Japanese shopkeeper, <em>irrashaimase<\/em> basically means \u201cwelcome to my shop\/hotel\/caf\u00e9\/restaurant\/whatever\u201d. It\u2019s typically said in a piercing nasal whine, with the final syllable \u201c<em>se<\/em>\u201d elongated to a preposterous degree. Shopkeepers, shop assistants, bellboys, waiters \u2013 they won\u2019t just call it when you arrive, they\u2019ll exclaim it periodically for the entire time you\u2019re in their establishment.<\/p>\n<p>I think of it as a form of national tourettes. Listen closely to the video below and you&#8217;ll begin to understand what I mean&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"irasshaimase\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2RZ68zazEYM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><em>Shitsurei shimasu<\/em><\/h3>\n<p><em>Shitsurei shimasu<\/em> literally translates as \u201cI am doing something rude\u201d (even though Japanese people almost never do anything rude EVER) and is used in a variety of situations. You might use it when entering or leaving a room, squeezing past someone in a crowd, ending a formal phone call, or when leaving work before your colleagues (which, if you\u2019ve ever worked in a Japanese office, you\u2019ll find yourself doing quite a lot). In the latter example, you\u2019d say: <em>osakini shitsurei shimasu<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11242\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11242\" style=\"width: 564px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-rss-image wp-image-11242\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Tokyo17_DavidLovejoy-1-564x376.jpg\" alt=\"&quot;Shitsurei shimasu&quot;\" width=\"564\" height=\"376\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Tokyo17_DavidLovejoy-1-564x376.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Tokyo17_DavidLovejoy-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Tokyo17_DavidLovejoy-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Tokyo17_DavidLovejoy-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Tokyo17_DavidLovejoy-1-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Tokyo17_DavidLovejoy-1-720x480.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Tokyo17_DavidLovejoy-1-390x260.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Tokyo17_DavidLovejoy-1-780x520.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Tokyo17_DavidLovejoy-1-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Tokyo17_DavidLovejoy-1.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 564px) 100vw, 564px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11242\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The perfect situation for a &#8220;<em>shitsurei shimasu<\/em>&#8220;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><em>Itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu<\/em><\/h3>\n<p>This is a phrase that I heard a lot when working in Japan. It\u2019s used as a formal greeting on the phone (and, I\u2019m told, in emails and letters), and means something like: \u201cthank you for your continued support\/hard work\u201d \u2013 although, as ever, this translation is a poor estimate of what the words actually mean in Japanese. Something beyond the realm of my understanding, that\u2019s for sure.<\/p>\n<p><strong>My Japanese is severely limited, and as this short journey has taken us to the edge of my linguistic ability (and probably the edge of your interest in obscure formal greetings, too), I\u2019ll leave it here for now. Keep your eyes peeled for more philological musings to come\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? 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Help us by sharing it! Lots of people ask us for useful phrases in Japanese to make their travels easier \u2013 and we highly recommend that you do learn a few words here and there to impress your Japanese hosts. 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