Essential Japanese Greetings and Cultural Foundations

Introduction to Japanese Greetings and Salutations

Learning Objective: The primary goal is to be able to exchange greetings when meeting someone, whether for the first time or in daily interactions.
General Vocabulary for Meeting People: - Ohayoo (gozaimasu) (おはよう/おはようございます): Used when meeting someone in the morning. - Konnichiwa (こんにちは): Used when meeting someone during the day (afternoon). - Konbanwa (こんばんは): Used when meeting someone in the evening.

Politeness Levels in Greetings

Formal vs. Casual Morning Greetings: - Ohayoo gozaimasu (おはようございます): This is the polite form. It should be used with superiors, teachers, or people you do not know well. - Ohayoo (おはよう): This is the shortened, casual form. It is appropriate for friends, family members, or people of lower social status than the speaker.
Time-Based Categorization: - Morning Greetings (Asa no aisatsu - 朝のあいさつ): Primarily consists of "Ohayoo gozaimasu" or "Ohayoo." - Afternoon Greetings (Hiru no aisatsu - 昼のあいさつ): The standard greeting is "Konnichiwa." - Evening Greetings (Yoru no aisatsu - 夜のあいさつ): The standard greeting is "Konbanwa."

Goodbyes and Parting Expressions

Can-Do Goal: Be able to say goodbye properly when leaving a situation or person.
Common Goodbye Phrases: - Jaa, mata (じゃあ、また): "See you later" or "See you." A standard casual/semi-formal parting. - Shitsureeshimasu (失礼します): A formal way to say goodbye, literally meaning "I am going to be rude (by leaving)." - Osaki ni shitsureeshimasu (お先に失礼します): Specifically used when leaving a place (like an office) before others. It means "Excuse me for leaving before you." - Otsukaresama deshita (お疲れさまでした): The polite response to someone leaving work or finishing a task. - Otsukaresama (お疲れさま): The casual version of "Otsukaresama deshita."
Nighttime Partings: - Oyasuminasai (おやすみなさい): Polite form of "Good night." - Oyasumi (おやすみ): Casual form of "Good night."

Expressions of Gratitude and Apology

Can-Do Goal: Be able to thank someone or apologize in various situations.
Saying Thank You: - Arigatoo gozaimasu (ありがとうございます): Polite/Formal "Thank you." - (Doomo) Arigatoo (（どうも）ありがとう): Standard/Casual "Thank you." - Doomo (どうも): A very brief way to say "Thanks" or "Hi." - Sumimasen (すみません): While often translated as "Excuse me" or "I'm sorry," it is frequently used to say "Thank you" when the speaker feels they have caused someone trouble or inconvenience (e.g., someone picking up a dropped item for you).
Vocab for Social Interaction: - Doozo (どうぞ): "Here you go" (when offering something). - Iie (いいえ): "No" or "You're welcome." - Kore (これ): This. - Ame (あめ): Candy. - Purezento (プレゼント): Present/Gift. - Otoshimashita yo (落としましたよ): You dropped (something). - Waa (わあ): An exclamation representing surprise.
Apologizing: - Sumimasen (すみません): Standard apology (polite/formal). - Gomen (ごめん): Casual apology used among friends or family. - Itai! (痛い！): "Ouch!"

Digital Communication: Message Stickers

Can-Do Goal: Understand and use messenger app stickers (stamps) for common greetings.
Usage Scenarios: - Send an "Ohayoo" (おはよう) sticker in the morning. - Send an "Oyasumi" (おやすみ) sticker when going to bed at night. - Send an "Arigatoo" (ありがとう) sticker to say thanks. - Send a "Gomen" (ごめん) sticker to apologize.

Verbatim Dialogue Scripts

Greeting Scenarios (01-02 to 01-05): - 1. A: Konnichiwa. B: Aa, Konnichiwa. - 2. A: Ohayoo gozaimasu. B: Ohayoo gozaimasu. - 3. A: Konbanwa. B: A, konbanwa. - 4. A: Ohayoo. B: Ohayoo.
Parting Scenarios (01-10 to 01-13): - 1. A: Jaa, mata. B: Jaa, mata. - 2. A: Jaa, mata. B: Shitsureeshimasu. - 3. A: Osaki ni shitsureeshimasu. B: A, otsukaresama deshita. C: Otsukaresama. - 4. A: Jaa, mata. Oyasumi. B: Oyasuminasai.
Gratitude and Apology Scenarios (01-18 to 01-25): - 1. A: Arigatoo gozaimasu. - 2. A: Kore, otoshimashita yo. B: A, sumimasen. - 3. A: Doozo. B: A, sumimasen. Arigatoo gozaimasu. A: Iie. - 4. A: Ame, doozo. B: A, doomo. - 5. A: Kore, purezento. B: Waa, doomo arigatoo. - 6. A: Itai! B: A, sumimasen. - 7. A: A, gomen! B: Aa! - 8. A: Sumimasen…

The Hiragana Writing System

Basic Vowels and Consonants: - a, i, u, e, o: あ, い, う, え, お - ka, ki, ku, ke, ko: か, き, く, け, こ - sa, shi, su, se, so: さ, し, す, せ, そ - ta, chi, tsu, te, to: た, ち, つ, て, と - na, ni, nu, ne, no: な, に, ぬ, ね, の - ha, hi, fu, he, ho: は, ひ, ふ, へ, ほ - ma, mi, mu, me, mo: ま, み, む, め, も - ya, yu, yo: や, ゆ, よ - ra, ri, ru, re, ro: ら, り, る, れ, ろ - wa, o, n: わ, を, ん
Voiced Sounds (Dakuon): - ga, gi, gu, ge, go: が, ぎ, ぐ, げ, ご - za, ji, zu, ze, zo: ざ, じ, ず, ぜ, ぞ - da, ji, zu, de, do: だ, ぢ, づ, で, ど (Note: ぢ and づ are rarely used) - ba, bi, bu, be, bo: ば, び, ぶ, べ, ぼ - pa, pi, pu, pe, po: ぱ, ぴ, ぷ, ぺ, ぽ
Contracted Sounds (Yoon): - kya, kyu, kyo: きゃ, きゅ, きょ - sha, shu, sho: しゃ, しゅ, しょ - cha, chu, cho: ちゃ, ちゅ, ちょ - nya, nyu, nyo: にゃ, にゅ, にょ - hya, hyu, hyo: ひゃ, ひゅ, ひょ - mya, myu, myo: みゃ, みゅ, みょ - rya, ryu, ryo: りゃ, りゅ, りょ - gya, gyu, gyo: ぎゃ, ぎゅ, ぎょ - ja, ju, jo: じゃ, じゅ, じょ - bya, byu, byo: びゃ, びゅ, びょ - pya, pyu, pyo: ぴゃ, ぴゅ, ぴょ

Typing and Phonetic Rules

Inputting Characters (Romaji Input): - shi: can be typed as "shi" or "si." - ji: can be typed as "ji" or "zi." - cha: can be typed as "cha" or "tya." - Special Inputs: - ぢ (ji): di - づ (zu): du - を (o): wo - ん (n): nn
Long Vowels (Nobasu oto): - The sound "ee" is written with い (i) or え (e) (e.g., とけい - tokee). - The sound "oo" is written with う (u) or お (o) (e.g., こおり - koori). - Examples: obaasan (おばあさん), ojiisan (おじいさん), suuji (すうじ), hikooki (ひこうき).
Long Consonants (Tsumaru oto): - Represented by a small つ (tsu), known as っ. - Examples: kippu (きっぷ), asatte (あさって), gakki (がっき), zasshi (ざっし).

Japanese Culture: Gestures and Nuances

Ojigi (Bowing): - People bow from the waist when greeting or thanking. - The depth of the bow indicates the level of respect (deeper = more respectful). - A light nod of the head is sufficient when meeting acquaintances on the street. - Hugging, kissing cheeks, and handshakes are not common in Japan; handshakes are sometimes used in business but are not the general standard.
Pre-meal Gesture: - Putting palms together in front of the chest is used before meals, not for greeting people. Misunderstanding this is a common error for foreigners.
The Reality of "Sayoonara": - While widely known, "Sayoonara" is rarely used in daily life. - It is often reserved for student-teacher interactions or when saying goodbye to someone you may never see again. - For daily acquaintances, use "Shitsureeshimasu" (formal) or "Jaa, mata" (casual).
Nuances of "Sumimasen": - Primarily used for apologizing, but often acts as an expression of gratitude. - Used when someone does something nice for you that causes them even slight inconvenience (e.g., giving up a seat on a train). - It is never used for "thank you" in situations where no trouble was caused to the other person, such as receiving a compliment or congratulations. - Rule of Thumb: If you are unsure, just saying "Arigatoo gozaimasu" is always acceptable and never rude.