もしもし
もしもし
hepburn moshimoshi
hello (on phone)
Part of speech · expression
Pattern visualization
no decomposition available
Examples
- もしもし、田中ですが。Hello, this is Tanaka.
- もしもし、聞こえますか?Hello, can you hear me?
Collocations
もしもし (moshi moshi, hello — telephone)電話 (denwa, telephone)お電話ありがとうございます (formal phone greeting)はい (hai, yes — phone answer)お疲れ様です (otsukaresama desu, internal call greeting)
Mnemonic
もしもし moshi moshi — phone-only greeting. Etymology: clipped reduplication of 申し申し (moushi moushi, "I humbly speak"). Folk legend says you say it twice to prove you're human not a 鬼 (oni demon) — supposedly unable to repeat themselves; etymologically weak but widespread folklore. Business calls do not use もしもし — corporate phones answer with 「はい、〇〇会社です」 or 「お電話ありがとうございます、〇〇会社の田中です」. One word compresses telephone history (Meiji 1890 introduction), folklore, and register split.
Quick check
Where is "moshi moshi" NOT used?