Greetings/Meetings

Good morning Ohayou gozaimasu お早うございます (おはよう ございます) This greeting is used in the morning until around 10 AM or when it stops feeling like morning time. In the 'feeling' vein, co-workers will greet each other this way at the beginning of a shift, even the night shift. When one is familiar with the greetee you might just say Ohayou (prounounced a lot like "Ohio" but the o trails off.

Good day / Hello Konnichi wa 今日は (こんにちは) This greeting is used during the day, until sundown. The term itself is idiomatic. The particle wa (は the subject marker) can be translated as "speaking about" and konnichi as "today" with a meaing abbreviated from "Speaking about today..." or "Today is... something."

Good evening, sir Sensei, konban wa 先生, 今晩は (せんせい, こんばんは) This greeting is used from sun down to sun up. The addition of the honorific sensei is for elders or men you aren't on familiar terms with (total strangers) as a more formal greeting. Typically (i.e. almost all the time) one would use just Konban wa with friends, family, and co-workers.

 Are you doing well? / How are you? Ogenki desu ka? お元気 です か (おげんき です か) Unless you are talking to your shiftless friends you would ask Ogenki desu ka? (note the honorific O). This term means literally "Are you healthy?"

Go-kigen ikaga desu ka 御機嫌 (ごきげん) "Are you in good spirts" -- something you would ask your Lord. obsolete as far as I can tell. More research is necessary. Thanks be to you (for asking). Okagesama de お蔭様で (おかげさま で) The Okage is a respectful reference to one who offers assistance or "backs you up", God, Buddha, a friend concerned for your health, etc. Sama is the extra polite suffix. The phrase itself is idiomatic for English phrases along the lines of "thank God", "thank my lucky stars", or "thank you for your support" and is therefor used in a greeting as such, "Thank you, Okage-sama (for being concerned about my welfare)".

I'm doing well. Genki desu. 元気 です (げんき です) Literally "I'm healthy". A more emphatic way of saying this is Genki da yo! which is a lot like saying "I'm Grrrrreat!". Be careful with the use of yo, reserve it's usage like you would baka, since it's a strong term and isn't appropriate in all places. Been a long time, huh? Ohisashiburi desu ne? お久し振り です ね (おひさしぶり です ね) Making or accepting an introduction

How do you do? / Pleased to meet you Hajimemashite 初めまして (はじめまして) This means simply "For the first time" so think of it as "(please to meet you) for the first time." It's probably noted elsewhere on E2, but the vowel i between to voiced consonants is contracted. The pronunciation then sounds like this: /ha-JI-may-MA-shtay/.

Pleased to meet you / Have my best regards Douzo yoroshiku どうぞ宜しく (どうぞ よろしく) Literally "I offer my best regards (so that you will treat me and our relationship well)". Most of the meaning is implied. See also: Yoroshiku o-negai shimasu, Douzo yoroshiku.*

Source:http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1343527


USEFUL SITES FOR LEARNING JAPANESE

http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1343527

http://japanese.about.com/blank13.htm

http://www.japan-zone.com/new/expression.shtml

http://quizlet.com/set/91001/

http://www.scribd.com/doc/3470242/Useful-Japanese-Expressions