Japanese Greetings & Essential Phrases

In Japan, the wrong bow can say more than the wrong word. Tilt your head casually at a business meeting with a senior exec, and you've communicated disrespect before opening your mouth. Japanese communication is a system where gesture, grammar, and silence all carry meaning.

The Bow

Type	Angle	When
Eshaku (greeting)	~15°	Casual greetings, passing colleagues
Keirei (respectful)	~30°	Meeting clients, greeting superiors
Saikeirei (deep)	~45°	Deep apology, sacred places

Bow from the waist, not the neck. Back straight. Foreign visitors aren't expected to bow perfectly — but making the effort communicates respect that words can't.

Greetings by Time of Day

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning	Time
おはようございます	Ohayō gozaimasu	Good morning (polite)	Until ~10am
こんにちは	Konnichiwa	Hello / Good afternoon	~10am–5pm
こんばんは	Konbanwa	Good evening	After ~5pm
おやすみなさい	Oyasumi nasai	Good night (polite)	Bedtime

Pattern: Longer version = polite. Shorter version = casual. This repeats throughout the language.

Pronunciation: Japanese vowels are consistent: a = "father," i = "see," u = "blue," e = "pet," o = "go." Every syllable gets equal stress.

The Multitool: Sumimasen

すみません (Sumimasen) is the Swiss Army knife of Japanese. Depending on context:

• "Excuse me" — getting a waiter's attention
• "I'm sorry" — bumping into someone
• "Thank you" — when someone goes out of their way for you

You'll hear it constantly. Learn to deploy this one word and you'll handle half of daily Japanese social situations.

Restaurant & Shopping Phrases

Japanese	Romaji	Meaning
すみません	Sumimasen	Excuse me (to call waiter)
これをください	Kore wo kudasai	This one, please
おすすめは何ですか	Osusume wa nan desu ka	What do you recommend?
お会計をお願いします	Okaikei wo onegaishimasu	Check, please
いくらですか	Ikura desu ka	How much?
美味しいです	Oishii desu	It's delicious

Important: In Japan, you do not tip. It can cause confusion or embarrassment. Service is part of the job, done with professional pride.

Before and After Every Meal

いただきます (Itadakimasu) before eating — "I humbly receive." Gratitude to everyone who made the meal possible.

ごちそうさまでした (Gochisōsama deshita) after eating — thanks for the effort of preparing food. Skipping these at a shared meal is like leaving without thanking the host.

Self-Introduction Template

1. はじめまして (Hajimemashite) — Nice to meet you
2. [Name]ともうします — I'm called [Name]
3. [Country]からきました — I'm from [Country]
4. よろしくおねがいします (Yoroshiku onegaishimasu) — "Please treat me well" (no clean English equivalent — it's humility, goodwill, and cooperation in one phrase)

Reading the Air

空気を読む (kūki wo yomu) — "to read the air." If a colleague responds to your proposal with "Sō desu ne..." followed by silence, that's probably a polite "no." Japanese communication values what's not said as much as what is.

Start Learning in Context

These phrases are your foundation. Belugaro helps you build on them by introducing Japanese vocabulary into your regular web browsing — so you absorb words naturally, the way your brain is designed to learn.