How should I use ohayō, konbanwa and oyasumi? As a greeting or as a goodbye?
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I assume you looked up the meanings of these phrases. Do you say "Good morning", "Good evening" and "Good night" as a greeting or as a goodbye? Why do you think it's any different in Japanese? – Earthliŋ♦ Feb 16 '17 at 16:48
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2In some languages, saying 'goodnight' can be a greeting. In some, it can be a form of goodbye for late night (like English). I wanted to see the case in Japanese; should I use 'oyasumi' when greeting someone in late night or leaving a party? – Amitai Nachmany Feb 16 '17 at 17:53
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4The orthographically correct spelling is こんばんは. – broken laptop Feb 17 '17 at 6:21
- おはよう（ございます） ohayō (gozaimasu) is used like "Good morning" as a greeting
- こんばんは konbanwa is used like "Good evening", also as a greeting
- おやすみ（なさい） oyasumi(nasai) is used like "Good night", said when parting with someone and either party is heading for bed (or back home)
It is completely parallel to the standard usage of the phrases in English. (It is not possible to use konbanwa like the "old-fashioned" "Good day (to you, sir!)" or "Good evening" as a form of saying goodbye.)
