こんばんは

also: こんばんわ

こ

ん

ば

ん

は

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

1

interjection

good evening

usually written using kana alone

A common evening greeting used from around dusk until bedtime. The は is pronounced わ.

こんばんは、今日きょうはお疲つかれさまでした。
Good evening, thank you for your hard work today.

Kanji

今now
晩nightfall, night

Related words

こんにちはN4
こんにちは is used for daytime greetings while 今晩は is reserved for evenings after dusk.
おはようN4
おはよう greets someone in the morning, whereas 今晩は greets someone in the evening.

Opposites

さようならN4
今晩は greets someone on meeting them in the evening, while さようなら is said when parting.

Written forms

こんばんはUsage67%
Standard kana spelling; usually written in kana. The kanji form 今晩は exists but is less common.
今晩はUsage20%
- こんばんは
  Kanji spelling; less common than kana. May be encountered in formal or older writing.

Etymology

Contraction of 今晩は (こんばんは), literally 'this evening is...', from a longer polite expression. The particle は is pronounced わ as a relic of historical kana usage.

こんばんわ

irregular kana usage

こんばんわUsage13%

irregular kana usage

Irregular kana spelling sometimes used in casual writing or by children; not standard. The reading reflects the irregular kana usage.