What does “konnichiwa” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “konnichiwa” often to mean ‘hello’ 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 grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “konnichiwa” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “konnichiwa”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “konnichiwa”.
- konnichiwa – 今日は (こんにちは) : a greeting meaning ‘hello’, ‘hi’, or such in Japanese.
This is often translated into English as “hello”, “hi”, or such, but the usage of this Japanese greeting is more limited. Japanese native speakers use this only as a daytime greeting.
The definition and meanings are simple and clear, I think. To understand this greeting more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.
What does “konnichiwa” literally mean in Japanese?
“Konnichiwa” consists of the following three components:
- kon – 今 (こん) : often used as a prefix to add the meaning of ‘this’.
- nichi – 日 (にち) : a noun meaning ‘day’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. As a topic marker, this can work to put a focus on its preceding word.
These three components tell us that “konnichiwa” is the greeting which puts a focus on “this day” and literally means ‘this day is’, ‘in this day’, ‘for this day’, or such in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. Native speakers often use this greeting to indirectly mean, for example, ‘how is your day going?’ in Japanese. Indeed, they put a focus on the day.
When we meet new Japanese phrases, we should check their grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, components tell us a lot about the meanings of the phrases they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “konnichiwa” through the detailed check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “konnichiwa” together with its grammatical components. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “hello” in Japanese
watashi wa kanojo ni 「konnichiwa」 to it ta – 私は彼女に「こんにちは」と言った (わたしはかのじょに「こんにちは」といった)
I said to her, “hello.”
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to say to whom the speaker said.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what the speaker 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 “konnichiwa”. When we want to greet someone during daytime in Japanese, this is always a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “konnichiwa”
kanojo wa 「konnichiwa」 to kotae ta – 彼女は「こんにちは」と答えた (かのじょは「こんにちは」とこたえた)
“Hello,” she answered.
Below is the new word used in the example sentence.
- kotae – 答え (こたえ) : one conjugation of the verb, “kotaeru”, which means ‘to answer’ or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
This is another typical usage of “konnichiwa”. This can work to respond to this daytime greeting itself. It’s worth knowing, I think.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “konnichiwa” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- konnichiwa – 今日は (こんにちは) : a greeting meaning ‘hello’, ‘hi’, or such in Japanese. This is often translated into English as “hello”, “hi”, or such, but the usage is more limited. Japanese native speakers use this only as a daytime greeting. From the grammatical point of view, this is the greeting which puts a focus on “this day” and literally means ‘this day is’, ‘in this day’, ‘for this day’, or such in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable, I think. Native speakers often use this greeting to indirectly mean, for example, ‘how is your day going?’ in Japanese. Indeed, they put a focus on the day.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
