Why is konnichiwa spelt こんにちは?


Why is は used at the end of こんにちは? Is the last letter the [particle
は](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/379/why-are-the-
particles-%E3%81%AF-
ha%E2%87%92wa-%E3%81%B8-he%E2%87%92e-and-%E3%82%92-wo%E2%87%92o-not-spelled-
phonet), or is there a different explanation?

[Which is correct: こんばんわ or
こんばんは?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/131/which-is-
correct-%E3%81%93%E3%82%93%E3%81%B0%E3%82%93%E3%82%8F-or-%E3%81%93%E3%82%93%E3%81%B0%E3%82%93%E3%81%AF)
mentions konnichiwa, but the question is interpreted more as "When should I
use こんばんわ and when should I use こんばんは?"




According to [gogen-allguide](http://gogen-allguide.com/ko/konnitiwa.html),
`こんにちは` originated from the `今日{こんにち}は` ("today") in
`今日{こんにち}はご機嫌{きげん}いかがですか？` ("how are you today") and similar expressions.




According to [gogen-allguide](http://gogen-allguide.com/ko/konnitiwa.html),
`こんにちは` originated from the `今日{こんにち}は` ("today") in
`今日{こんにち}はご機嫌{きげん}いかがですか？` ("how are you today") and similar expressions.

