Japanese Telephone Phrases: “Hello?”

Japanese Telephone Phrases: もしもし (Hello?) – Review Notes

Today we learned how to answer the phone in Japanese! In this review, we will learn more about the origin of this Japanese phrase!

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How to Answer the Phone in Japanese:

★　Today’s Quick Japanese phrase is: もしもし (moshi moshi).

★　This phrase is used like the English word “hello?” when calling or answering the phone.

★　But, as you may already know, there is a different Japanese word for the greeting “hello”: こんにちは (konnichi wa).

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So, why もしもし (moshi moshi)?

★　There are actually a couple of different theories about why Japanese people say もしもし when answering the phone:

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1. Foxes can’t say もしもし (moshi moshi)

★　Long ago, Japanese people believed that foxes were little tricksters that could take human form and cause mischief such as stealing things or tricking men into marrying them.

★　Supposedly, もしもし (moshi moshi) is difficult for foxes to pronounce. Therefore, if you say it on the phone you can confirm that you are human.

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2. 19th Century Operators Started it

★　When phones were first used in Japan, people used to say おいおい (Oi Oi). In 1890, telephone operators started to use もしもし (moshi moshi) instead.

★　It was originally written with this kanji 申し申し and it meant “I’m going to say.”

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Additional Tips:

★　Just like “hello,” もしもし (moshi moshi) is also used when you can’t hear someone on the phone, like when the phone connection is bad. It is kind of like saying “can you hear me?”

★　もしもし (moshi moshi) can also be used when not on the phone when you are trying to get someone’s attention when they are spacing out. It’s kind of like saying “hello, is anyone there?”

★　Not everyone uses もしもし (moshi moshi) every time they answer the phone. There are other ways to answer the phone as well. For example, you can say はい (hai) which means “yes.”

★　After saying もしもし (moshi moshi) it is common to state who you are to the person on the other end. You can use the standard pattern of “(your name) です (desu)”

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