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I've always been amused that a literal translation of Konnichiwa could be something like: So, about today...

Kono(this) nichi(day) wa(is the topic)



Likewise konbanwa is the same thing with "tonight" / "this evening"


English speakers also often drop the "good" in "good morning" and "good night", reducing the phrase to a single noun that refers roughly to the current time.


>English speakers also often drop the "good" in "good morning" and "good night", reducing the phrase to a single noun that refers roughly to the current time.

If I'm at work, I usually prefer to say "morning" without the "good": if it were a good morning, I wouldn't be at work...


it's short for

今日はご機嫌いかがですか?

if you're a rich girl at a private school you can just say ご機嫌よう




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