What does “konbanwa” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “konbanwa” to mean ‘good evening’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this greeting as it is sometimes used in Japanese textbooks. In this blog post, however, I will explain it in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “konbanwa” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “konbanwa”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “konbanwa”.
- konbanwa – 今晩は (こんばんは) : a Japanese greeting for ‘good evening’.
Again, but native speakers use this greeting to say “good evening” in Japanese. They usually write it in hiragana, but its kanji expression gives us more detailed information. So, let me explain it in detail.
Konbanwa in kanji
The kanji expression of “konbanwa” contains the following two kanji characters:
- 今 : a kanji character used to add the meaning of ‘this’.
- 晩 : a kanji character used to mean ‘evening’ in Japanese.
From these two kanji characters, we can understand that the kanji part of “konbanwa” literally means ‘this evening’ in Japanese. “Wa” following it is a binding particle and can work as a topic marker to put a focus on the preceding part. So, this greeting literally works to focus on things related to ‘this evening’. Its literal translation into English would be ‘in this evening’, ‘for this evening’, or just ‘this evening’, but we can consider its actual role in Japanese as, for example, asking “Hi, how are you this evening?” Actually, Japanese native speakers often use this greeting to start conversations with things related to ‘this evening’ or just to greet someone.
When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about the meanings of the expressions they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “konbanwa” through the detailed check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “konbanwa” together with its kanji expression. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to say “good evening” in Japanese
kanojo ga watashi ni 「konbanwa」 to it ta – 彼女が私に「こんばんは」と言った (かのじょがわたしに「こんばんは」といった)
She said to me, “good evening.”
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to indicate whom “kanojo” said to.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what “kanojo” said.
- it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu“, which means ‘to say’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.
This is a typical usage of “konbanwa”. When we want to say “good evening” in Japanese, this greeting is a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “konbanwa”
watashi mo 「konbanwa」 to it ta – 私も「こんばんは」と言った (わたしも「こんばんは」といった)
I said, “good evening,” too.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- mo – も : a binding particle making the subject word or the object word in a sentence with adding the meaning of ‘also’, ‘too’, or ‘as well’. In the example, this works after “watashi” to make the subject in the sentence with adding the meaning of ‘too’.
This is another typical usage of “konbanwa”. This can respond to this evening greeting itself. It’s worth knowing, I think.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “konbanwa” in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- konbanwa – 今晩は (こんばんは) : a Japanese greeting for ‘good evening’. “Konban” literally means ‘this evening’ in Japanese. “Wa” is a binding particle and can work as a topic marker to put a focus on its preceding part. So, this greeting literally works to focus on things related to ‘this evening’. Its literal translation into English would be ‘in this evening’, ‘for this evening’, or just ‘this evening’, but we can consider its actual role in Japanese as, for example, asking “Hi, how are you this evening?” Actually, Japanese native speakers often use this greeting to start conversations with things related to ‘this evening’ or just to greet someone.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
