Japanese

Japanese phrasebook

This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on usefulness, simplicity and commonness.

Interjection

おはようございます ‎(romaji ohayō gozaimasu, historical hiragana おはやうございます)

1. good morning

Usage notes

In more casual speech, may be shortened to just おはよう ‎(ohayō).

Also spelled in kanji various ways. Generally, the more kanji used, the more formal the written form. The following lists alternative forms in rough order from casual to formal.

Alternative forms

• [おはようございます]
• お早うございます
• お早う御座います
• 御早う御座います

Derived terms

• 押忍 (おっす) ‎(ossu), 押 (お)っ忍 (す) ‎(ossu)

References

1. ↑ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9