Is it okay to say 'ohayo gozaimasu' in first meeting with a Japanese stranger?


I've seen a lot of people saying that First Learners should be careful when
greeting a Japanese. I have to be careful how to address Japanese people with
'-Chan', '-Kun', '-San' and '-Sama' and also how to refer them. I noticed that
it would be hard for me to greet a Japanese properly in our first meeting
since I don't know her/his name.

Out of curiosity, is it informal to greet Japanese strangers with 'Ohayo',
'Konnichiwa', or 'Konbanwa' only when I go around and see one?

If this question seems inappropriate or stupid, I apologize for my curiosity.




If you are _meeting_ someone for the first time, you should use
_hajimemashite_. By "meeting" I mean you are going to introduce yourself and
talk to them for a while.

If you are simply _greeting_ someone as you pass by, you can use

  * _ohayō gozaimasu_ "good morning",
  * _konnichiwa_ "good day/afternoon", or
  * _konbanwa_ "good evening"

depending on the time of day. However, if you don't know them and have never
talked to them before, you usually only say this if they belong to your social
sphere (e.g. a coworker, a neighbour, someone you pass every morning on your
way to work, etc.).

Note that in the countryside, probably everyone belongs to your social sphere
(your host's cousin's neighbour's friend) so you greet away.

However, if they are complete strangers I would say it is uncommon to greet
people verbally. A small nod approximating a small _ojigi_ is much less
intrusive.

Then again, if you are a foreigner, you can probably ignore all of the above
and greet people anyway. Most will take this the friendly way, but there is
some chance you make them feel uncomfortable.

