by Tomoyuki Higuchi
How do you say “Good evening!” in Japanese?
Today’s phrase is :
Good evening!
こんばんは！
konbanwa
Pronunciation
We say “こんばんは (konbanwa)” to our neighbors when we meet them on the street or to someone we have never met before.
We do not usually say “こんばんは” to our friends because it sounds a bit formal.
When you see your friend, just smile and say his or her name, then say “お疲れ (otsukare)！”.
It is hard to translate “お疲れ” into English. It is a kind of greeting used frequently in the same way as “Hi!”.
It goes something like this :
