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Japan Know How

Good night in Japanese

Good night in Japanese

おやすみなさい

oyasumi nasai

polite

What it literally says

please rest

Japanese politeness is mostly built out of phrases that stopped being literal a long time ago. Knowing what is underneath is the difference between repeating a sound and knowing what you said.

The same thing, said differently

Japanese changes shape with the distance between the people speaking. These are the same meaning at other settings.

casualおやすみoyasumi

When to use it

Said when parting for the night or going to bed, not on leaving a party early.

Next in Greetings

The rest of the phrasebook

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