Respect is part of Japanese culture. It doesn’t matter if you aren’t Japanese. The Japanese bow is famously polite and Japanese people place a lot of importance on etiquette and respect for hierarchy in the family.
Hello in German: こんにちは (Kon’nichiwa)
They’re social people. Likewise, the Japanese language is one of the world’s most polite languages, as is its culture. If you are a tourist coming to Japan, you don’t have to be a master of Japanese to have a great time. If you learn just two words in Japanese: Konnichiwa (hello) and Arigato (thank you) you will be amazed at how quickly you will progress through your Japanese journey.
It’s probably no surprise if you’ve been watching anime: “hello” in Japanese is Konnichiwa. Sounds familiar? Because Konnichiwa is one of the most common greetings used by the Japanese, it most probably does.
Many people are living outside Japan know a few words in Japanese, and Konnichiwa definitely among them. During the olden days, Japanese people used to address each other with konnichi was gokiken ikaga desu ka? Eventually, these expressions became shorter and shorter, and eventually, we all used Konnichiwa to greet one another in Japanese.
Additionally, you should also take into consideration that it is typically only use during the daytime, from morning until evening unlike hello in other languages. You may use Konnichiwa in a variety of social instances.
Please note that Konnichiwa is perfectly safe to use in all types of social situations (only between the hours of morning and evening; never in the early morning or at night) except in very close friendship situations.
Japanese does use an accent system, although it is not tonal. Pitch varies according to the region. For learning pronunciations, you should use the Tokyo accent. However, the words you learn in one place may not sound the same in another!
Arslan Hussain, founder of The Different Languages, is an experienced translator passionate about languages and cultures. Through his website, he shares his knowledge and love for different languages, making learning accessible and enjoyable.