Good night in Japanese: おやすみなさい and short おやすみ
"Good night" in Japanese is おやすみなさい (oyasumi nasai), polite. To close ones, you say the short form: おやすみ (oyasumi). Literally it means "rest": 休む (yasumu) — to rest. It reads "o-ya-su-mi na-sai", there are no stresses in Japanese, syllables are even.
The Japanese "good night" is not a wish for sleep, but permission to stop working. おやすみなさい literally means "please rest". Therefore, the phrase is said both at ten in the evening at home and at three in the morning in the office to someone who is finally leaving.
How to say "good night" in Japanese
| Japanese | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| おやすみなさい | oyasumi nasai | Good night (polite) |
| おやすみ | oyasumi | Good night (to close ones)family, friends, in messages |
| いい夢をいいゆめを | ii yume o | Sweet dreamsliterally "good dream" |
| ゆっくり休んでねゆっくりやすんでね | yukkuri yasunde ne | Rest well |
| また明日またあした | mata ashita | See you tomorrowoften used instead of "good night" when parting |
| お先に失礼しますおさきにしつれいします | o-saki ni shitsurei shimasu | Excuse me for leaving before youwhat you say to colleagues when leaving in the evening |
Where the word "rest" comes from in "oyasumi"
The base is the verb 休む (yasumu), "to rest, to take a day off". The prefix お is polite, the ending なさい is a soft command. It becomes "please rest". The same root is in 休み (yasumi) — "day off, break", so 夏休み (natsuyasumi) is not sleep, but summer vacation.
When to say it, and when not
- At home before bed — always おやすみ or おやすみなさい, even if the person is not going to sleep yet.
- Leaving the office in the evening — not "good night", but お先に失礼します ("I'm leaving before you"); in response you'll hear お疲れ様でした.
- In messages at night — just おやすみ, often with a moon emoji; the polite form looks too formal.
- During the day the phrase is not used: it has no meaning of "goodbye", only about rest and sleep.
Say "oyasumi" out loud
FAQ
How to say "good night" in Japanese?
おやすみなさい (oyasumi nasai) — polite, おやすみ (oyasumi) — to close ones. Literally "please rest".
How do you pronounce "good night" in Japanese?
"Oyasumi nasai" or short "oyasumi". Syllables are pronounced evenly, there is no stress in Japanese; "su" sounds almost like "s".
How to wish sweet dreams?
いい夢を (ii yume o) — "good dream". The full form is いい夢を見てね, but usually it's cut short: Japanese often don't finish polite phrases.
Who should not be told "oyasumi"?
Colleagues when leaving work: there you say お先に失礼します. And generally during the day — the phrase is only about rest and sleep, not about farewell.
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