In the countries of the East, much attention is paid to the culture of behavior and respect for traditions. For example, the first thing children begin to teach in Japan is Aisatsu. In the general sense, the term "aisatsu" can be translated as "greeting", although this word has a deeper meaning. It includes not only the culture of Japanese greetings and goodbyes, but also other aspects of everyday behavior.
If you do not want to insult a Japanese when communicating inadvertently, then you also need to know the norms of behavior in his country. And first of all, the study of Aisatsu must begin with the development of greeting rules in Japanese.
Types of greetings
During the day, the Japanese use different phrases to greet each other. In the event that you say “good evening” instead of “good morning”, you may be considered an uncivilized and rude person.
Japanese greeting depends on the time of day, the relationship between the speakers and their social status:
- Until 10:00 they say ohayo (ohayo), but this greeting is informal. For a more polite treatment, gozaimas (godzAimas) is added. Interestingly, actors and media workers use this greeting throughout the day, which has developed historically.
- In the afternoon, use konnichiwa (Konichiva). This appeal can be used throughout the day, especially for foreigners.
- After 18:00 and until midnight, welcome, saying konbanwa (Avanganwa).
- Then until 6:00 they say the phrase oyasuminasai (oyasumi usai). In close relationships, it is permissible to use the reduction oyasumi (oyasumi). Also, this phrase is used for the wishes of "good night" and "good dreams."
In the event that you are not sure whether it is worth being formal in the conversation, you need to remember one rule: in the Land of the Rising Sun there is no concept of “too much politeness”. Formality in communication will be well received by your interlocutor.
Traditional Japanese greeting when meeting
If you are introduced to a person for the first time, then the rules of greeting are somewhat different from the usual. First of all, after indicating your own name, you should pronounce hajimemashite (hajimemAsche). “G” in a word must be pronounced softly, and for a Russian-speaking person, the very thought of a softened “g” may seem strange.
This phrase can be translated as "nice to meet you," it expresses friendliness. After that, you can briefly talk about yourself to find topics for conversation. However, before this it is necessary to inquire about the health of the interlocutor by asking o genki des ka (about genki des kA). If you asked this question, then you should answer genki desu (genki des) - "Everything is fine" or maa-maa desu (ma-ma des) - "Will do." Say it should, even if your affairs are not too good. Complaining about problems is permissible only with very close relations with the interlocutor.
After answering this question, you need to take an interest in the state of the interlocutor by saying anata wa (anAta wa) - "And you?" Listen carefully to the answer before you start dating.
When saying goodbye to a new acquaintance, it is best to use the phrase yoroshiku onegaishimasu (yOroshiku onegaysim As). The most accurate translation of this phrase sounds like “please take care of me”, which is quite unusual for a European.
Japanese politeness
In Japanese greetings, not only words and phrases are important, but also gestures. Who does not know about traditional bows? Fortunately, at present, the Japanese are not so strict with foreigners and do not require strict observance of customs. Now the handshakes familiar to Western people have spread, which makes life much easier for many businessmen. And yet, if you see that the Japanese begins to bow, then he should not stretch out his hand. It will be much better if you answer the interlocutor in his "language".
Phone calls and other situations
As in other languages, for certain cases there are special Japanese greetings:
- A telephone conversation begins with moshi-moshi (power-power), this is an analogue of the Russian "hello". The syllable “cabbage soup” is pronounced as something between “cabbage soup” and “si”, and the syllable “mo” is not converted to “ma”.
- Close male friends can greet each other with the word ossu (os!). Girls do not use such a greeting, this is considered rude.
- For girls, there is also an informal way of Japanese greeting, which is widely used in Osaka: ya: ho (Y: ho).
- If you haven’t seen anyone for a long time, you must say o hisashiburi desu ne (about hisashiburi Uri des NE), which literally means "have not seen each other for a long time."
- Another informal greeting is the phrase saikin-do (sAikin DO :), which means "How are you?"