Basic Japanese greetings for beginners (N5)

Greetings are the first step into Japanese. They help you start conversations politely and communicate naturally from your very first day. In this lesson you’ll learn simple expressions you can use anytime at JLPT N5 level. Click the play button to listen to each phrase and repeat out loud.

Common Japanese greetings (N5)

These are everyday expressions you will hear everywhere in Japan:

• こんにちは (konnichiwa) – hello / good afternoon
• おはようございます (ohayou gozaimasu) – good morning
• こんばんは (konbanwa) – good evening
• さようなら (sayounara) – goodbye
• またね (mata ne) – see you
• ありがとうございます (arigatou gozaimasu) – thank you

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1. Saying hello in Japanese

Hello / Good afternoon.

Good morning.

Good evening.

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2. Saying goodbye in Japanese

Goodbye.

See you.

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3. Saying thank you in Japanese

Japanese has many ways to say thank you, but at N5 level you only need one polite form:

Thank you.

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4. Polite greetings for everyday use

Nice to meet you.

Please treat me well / I look forward to working with you.

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5. Simple greetings for daily situations

Welcome (used in shops and restaurants).

Thank you for your hard work / Good job.

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Vocabulary from this lesson

Click each word to listen and repeat.

If you want to practice these Japanese pronouns with audio, you can review and repeat them inside A1 Polyglot Phrases. It’s free to use and gives you a simple way to listen, repeat, and build confidence with every expression.