Appropriate ただいま-like greeting for a neighbor?


I frequently pass by an elderly neighbor who lives in the same apartment when
coming home from a dog walk. He's kind of an in-house carpenter for the
building and is frequently seen around the garage. I usually just nod to him
with a small murmur that sounds like こんにちは.

Now this chap is not exactly as close as a family, so `ただいま` doesn't quite
feel right. But he's more on a talking basis rather than a higher-up, which
rules out `ただいま戻りました`. I've seen `ただいまです` used in the Internets but not in
spoken Japanese.

What's the appropriate words of greeting in this situation?




ただいま is definitely not the right word for this situation.

It is exclusively used when arriving **home** (typically, when you step inside
the house). Sometimes, by extension, it can be used when coming back from a
trip and stepping into the airport or the train station of your destination,
talking to your loved ones waiting for you (or perhaps over the phone).

As you probably know, it is usually paired with お帰り【おかえり】/お帰りなさい【おかえりなさい】
("welcome home"), which can be used in slightly wider situations (famously,
Narita airport "welcomes [foreign travellers] to Japan", but wishes "お帰りなさい"
to its fellow Japanese citizen).

But in all cases, ただいま is most definitely used to address your inner circle
(most typically, your companion and/or kids). Saying that to a stranger,
however friendly, would be akin to saying "Honey, I'm home" to your building
manager ;-)

As Mark said: こんにちは/こんばんは/おはようございます is probably the most appropriate for a
friendly neighbour. On occasions, if you are coming home and he's going out,
you could give him some 行ってらっしゃい【いってらっしゃい】, but this might be better left to
older obaachans wishing _you_ a nice day.




ただいま is definitely not the right word for this situation.

It is exclusively used when arriving **home** (typically, when you step inside
the house). Sometimes, by extension, it can be used when coming back from a
trip and stepping into the airport or the train station of your destination,
talking to your loved ones waiting for you (or perhaps over the phone).

As you probably know, it is usually paired with お帰り【おかえり】/お帰りなさい【おかえりなさい】
("welcome home"), which can be used in slightly wider situations (famously,
Narita airport "welcomes [foreign travellers] to Japan", but wishes "お帰りなさい"
to its fellow Japanese citizen).

But in all cases, ただいま is most definitely used to address your inner circle
(most typically, your companion and/or kids). Saying that to a stranger,
however friendly, would be akin to saying "Honey, I'm home" to your building
manager ;-)

As Mark said: こんにちは/こんばんは/おはようございます is probably the most appropriate for a
friendly neighbour. On occasions, if you are coming home and he's going out,
you could give him some 行ってらっしゃい【いってらっしゃい】, but this might be better left to
older obaachans wishing _you_ a nice day.

