こんばんは! Konbanwa!
Since I am writing this journal entry at night, I just greeted you all with a "good evening!" in Japanese.
We all know there are different ways to say hello depending on the time of day and the person you're speaking with. There isn't a specific word for "hello" in Japanese because it all depends on the time of day. Today, I want to teach you the three words to say in Japanese when you want to greet people.
You should always start your day on a good note by saying good morning to people. Here in Japan we say Ohayou, which sounds exactly like the American state Ohio. During any morning until about noon, you should say Ohayou.
During the afternoons, you want to say konnichiwa. That one isn't too difficult!
After the sun goes down, which is usually around 6:00 PM in the afternoon here, the expression is konbanwa, which means good evening.
It is very important to get the words and times of days right, or else people will be confused. But how would you say good bye?
The good news is most people in Japan will say "bye bye" just like we would in the United States. That works out perfectly. In a situation where you are going to sleep, however, you should say oyasumi, which means good night.
