| Japanese | English | Say it to |
|---|---|---|
| おはよう。 | Good morning. | Friends and classmates |
| おはようございます。 | Good morning. | Teachers, coworkers, hosts, people you don't know well |
At school, one classmate greets another with the short form and goes straight to a question:
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| おはよう。 | Good morning. |
| 昨日宿題をやった？ | Did you do your homework yesterday? |
At an office, a visitor and his host both use the long form:
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| おはようございます。本日お伺いした田中です。 | Good morning. I am Tanaka, visiting today. |
| おはようございます。どんなに忙しくても、丁寧な挨拶は大切ですね。 | Good morning. No matter how busy you are, a polite greeting is important. |
A Real Japanese Lesson
Polite Office Greetings
Mr. Tanaka has arrived at the office and is giving a polite greeting.
Good morning. I am Tanaka, visiting today.
Good morning. No matter how busy you are, a polite greeting is important.
Thank you. Thanks to everyone's guidance, I was able to arrive safely.
Now then, right this way please.
Hear the classroom おはよう in Level 2 of our guide to daily life and hobbies in Japanese. Our Japanese guides have more office and school scenes.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Japanese. You learn from Japanese you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes the lessons.
- The Hiragana and Katakana course teaches kana from the first letter.
- Lessons fit your level, interests, and goals.
- Read and listen to news and stories in Japanese about things you care about.
- Ask Poppy about a sentence while you read.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, so you review them by reading. You can also export them to Anki.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Manga and Japanese books you own can't become lessons. Send Poppy a photo of a page, and she explains it one line after another.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
- Teaches Kana
Mobile
Do I Need to Read Japanese to Use These Phrases?
No. Press play on any line in the office lesson and copy what you hear. Both phrases are written in hiragana, the first Japanese script most learners study, and Hiragana vs Katakana explains where to start.
Which Japanese App Should a Beginner Choose?
If you are serious about learning Japanese, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Our Japanese app comparison covers more choices and what each one is good for.
Is Bubblegum Free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
