62812
Rosetta Stone, which I use for learning, uses _konnichiwa_ (こんにちは?) as a
generic "hello". But when visiting Kyoto and places around there, I have never
heard anyone actually saying it, not even a single time. Do they use another
standard phrase instead? I would like to use a natural phrase to initiate
conversation with strangers, for reasons like asking for directions and such.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-12T21:07:16.057
62808
2018-11-14T00:50:08.490
2018-11-12T21:15:58.630
25875
31913
question
word-choice culture
How do you say "hello" properly in Kyoto?
こんにちは.

That's how you properly say hello in Kyoto. One way out of many of course
depending on the situation (but I really did not think I had to specify
this!). Like pretty much everywhere else in Japan. It's standard Japanese, and
Kyoto is no exception.

Now, if you talk about slang or dialects, it's a different story. However, as
far as I know, こんにちは is still a common choice there when it comes to
greetings.

Consider this though. Your personal experience is probably too limited to draw
conclusions just because "you never heard it". How long have you been there?
Did you really spend all your days eavesdropping trying to catch people saying
"konnichiwa"?

On a side note, I found [this blog](http://tenant-
plus.com/blog/other/2016/09/6031.html) discussing Kyoto dialect. A very famous
thing about this dialect is おおきに, which generally means "thank you". However,
according to this source it is actually used in a much more broad sense:

> 「おおきに」は「ありがとう」という有名な京都弁ですが、
>
> 実際の現場ではもっと多様な意味で使われています。
>
> 特に商売人の方とお話するときは、
>
> **まず開口一番「おおきにぃ～」（＝こんにちは、おはようございます、お邪魔します）、**
>
> 話してる途中でも「おおきに！」（＝その通り、同意見です、うれしいです）、
>
> 帰りしなにも「おおきに～！」（＝さようなら、また明日、ごきげんよう）
>
> と、かなり便利にいろんな意味で使われています。

You can see on the fourth line that it's also used at the very beginning of a
conversation and could bear the meaning of こんにちは、おはようございます、お邪魔します.

**EDIT:** _However, according to Chocolate's comment, who I believe is from
Kyoto, this is not entirely correct, so take it with a grain of salt. After
all, the fact that (supposedly) a Japanese person wrote the blog doesn't
necessarily make it true._

Just to add one more thing, you might have heard おはようさん instead of おはようございます,
which is also quite popular. For your reference, you can find a collection of
expressions in Kyoto dialect
[here](http://www.jrtours.co.jp/kyoto_plan/enjoy/archive/200707_dic.html).
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-13T02:46:49.180
62810
2018-11-14T00:50:08.490
2018-11-14T00:50:08.490
14205
14205
62808
answer
Perhaps you have to give up on the idea that "there should be a perfect
equivalent of _hello_ in Japanese (or in Kyoto)". Different languages have
different sets of greetings. Some common phrases like いってきます and よろしくおねがいします
are difficult to translate to English.

Where you expected _hello_ , you might have heard いらっしゃいませ, どうも, もしもし, すみません
or おつかれさまです instead. None of them are perfect equivalents of _hello_ , but
used in various situations where _hello_ can be used in English. Indeed,
tourists are not likely to hear こんにちは, which is mainly used at school and
workplaces. In your case, the phrase you need to stop a total stranger on the
street is すみません, which is closer to _excuse me_.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-13T03:07:57.793
62812
2018-11-13T07:01:40.703
2018-11-13T07:01:40.703
17571
5010
62808
answer
Japanese greetings depend on many factors.

**Local dialects**

There are many local dialects and the Kansai region (including Kyoto) famously
use their local dialect quite frequently. They'll usually use standard (Tokyo)
Japanese vocabulary with foreigners as they don't expect you to have learned
their dialect. They might have a slight regional accent but you will be able
understand them (unlike rural areas that they need to give subtitles for on
national TV). One notable difference is that they will say おおきに instead of
ありがとう. This is regarded as old-fashioned but they'll still use it if you buy
something from a gift store. However, you won't be greeted in local dialects.
Other words such as めっちゃ originate from Kansai dialect but are widely used in
modern Japanese. Many actors and comedians come from this region so most
Japanese people are familiar with some Kansai dialect words. However, they
still study Japanese in schools and you can use standard Japanese and will be
understood (anywhere in Japan).

**Situation**

Many Japanese greeting depend on the situation. You would not be expected to
use these but you may hear them used around you. もしもし ("hi") is a greeting
specifically for answering the phone for example. Staff will greet you to
enter a store or restaurant with a more formal greeting いらっしゃいませ (please come
in). Colleagues will often greet each other with おつかれさまです (you work hard).
When leaving home you say いってきます (I'm leaving) and they reply いってらっしゃい (come
back soon). When you return home, it is customary to say ただいま (I'm home) and
be greeted with おかえりなさい (welcome back). When meeting someone after a long
time, they say ひさしぶりです (hey, it's been while). In these cases you could say
こんにちは but it is not needed in these contexts. You will be understood if you do
not use these but it may explain why greetings (such as those discussed below)
are not used as often as you might expect.

**Time of the day**

Using こんにちは as a greeting is completely acceptable but it depends on the time
of day. こんにちは(今日は) is better translated as "good day" or "good afternoon". In
the morning, it's common to use the greeting おはよう (it's early) for "good
morning". In the evening, they use こんばんは for "good evening". Note: おやすみ[なさい]
"good night" is wishing someone a good rest and is not used as a greeting.

**Interacting with strangers**

すみません has far more uses in Japanese than "sorry" or "excuse me" in English.
Understanding this is important in Japan. These uses include attracting the
attention of staff at restaurants and store or asking for help such as
directions. It's also used a lot to let people know you need to pass by or
apologise for bumping into them (Japanese stores are small and train stations
are very crowded so you will use this _a lot_ ).
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-11-13T09:27:19.753
62815
2018-11-13T09:34:28.087
2018-11-13T09:34:28.087
14608
14608
62808
answer