konnitiha.

It is pronounced roughly kon-ni-chi-wa.

A few notes:

• こ = ko
• ん = an n sound
• に = ni
• ち = chi
• は here is pronounced wa, not ha

The stress is not like English stress. Japanese has a more even rhythm, so try to say each part clearly and smoothly: ko-n-ni-chi-wa.

This is one of the first things learners notice. Normally, は is read ha. But when は is used as the topic particle, it is pronounced wa.

In こんにちは, the final は comes from older grammar where it functioned as that particle, so the modern pronunciation stayed wa.

So:

• normal reading of は = ha
• particle は = wa

That is why こんにちは is read konnichiwa, not konnichiha.

It is usually written in hiragana as こんにちは.

You may sometimes see the older or more formal-looking kanji version 今日は, but in modern everyday writing that can be confusing because 今日は is also normally read kyou wa, meaning as for today.

So for learners, the safest and most natural choice is:

• こんにちは

It is polite and neutral. You can use it with:

• strangers
• teachers
• coworkers
• neighbors
• people you do not know well

It is not extremely formal, but it is perfectly normal in everyday polite speech.

With close friends, people may also use more casual greetings depending on the situation, but こんにちは is still fine.

It is used as a daytime greeting, usually from late morning through the afternoon.

Very roughly:

• morning: おはようございます
• daytime / afternoon: こんにちは
• evening: こんばんは

The exact boundary is not strict. Japanese greetings depend a lot on context and feeling, not just the clock. But in general, こんにちは is the standard greeting once the morning period feels over.

Usually no. Japanese phone greetings are different from face-to-face greetings.

When answering the phone, people often say:

• もしもし for casual phone calls

In business situations, people often use much more specific polite phrases instead of こんにちは.

So こんにちは is mainly for in-person greetings, not for standard phone use.

Not necessarily. こんにちは。 can stand by itself as a complete greeting.

But in real conversation, it is often followed by something such as:

• the person’s name
• a polite comment
• a question
• a seasonal or situational remark

For example, after greeting someone, you might continue the conversation naturally. But the greeting itself is complete on its own.

。 is the standard Japanese full stop, like a period in English.

So:

• English uses .
• Japanese usually uses 。

In casual texting or messaging, people often leave it out, just like English speakers sometimes do. But in normal written Japanese, こんにちは。 with 。 is perfectly standard.

Yes. If you are using romaji, konnichiwa is the normal way to write the pronunciation.

That said, because the final sound comes from the particle は, you may occasionally see explanations mentioning the underlying spelling. But for practical learning:

• hiragana: こんにちは
• romaji: konnichiwa

That is the form most learners should remember.

In modern Japanese, it works as a complete greeting by itself.

Historically, it comes from a longer expression, but today speakers treat it as a standard standalone greeting. So you do not need to think of it as unfinished when you use it.

For a learner, the important point is simple: こんにちは functions as a complete and natural greeting in everyday Japanese.