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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner

How do you say "good evening" in Japanese?

こんばんは

konbanha

Phrase Hiragana

In Japanese, "good evening" is こんばんは (konbanha).

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Pronunciation

Say kon-ban-wah, three syllables, ban is nasal and short, distinguishing it clearly from the daytime greeting.

Writing and usage

こんばんは is written using hiragana. It's a phrase, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

good evening

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How to remember こんばんは

Konbanwa sounds like 'cone, bon, wah', picture sharing a bonbon treat with a friend as the evening settles in.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about こんばんは

How do you pronounce こんばんは?

Say kon-ban-wah, three syllables, ban is nasal and short, distinguishing it clearly from the daytime greeting.

Is こんばんは formal or casual?

こんばんは is a common everyday expression. Context and tone of voice matter more than the words themselves for how formal it sounds.

How is こんばんは written in Japanese?

こんばんは is written using hiragana. Romanised, it reads as konbanha.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Good evening" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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