Is konnichiwa misspelled?

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In the next level, you will learn the word for hello, konnichiwa.

こんにちはkonnichiwa


But you might notice that konnichwa is 'misspelled'

こんにちはkonnichiwa


That's because this expression is actually a shortening of a longer phrase.

今日は　ご機嫌　いかがですか？Konnichiwa gokigen ikagadesuka?

lit. (as for the topic of) today, how is your mood?


In this longer phrase, the は particle is being used.




This は particle is called the 'topic marking particle', and as you might've guessed, it

marks the 'topic' of the sentence.




When the は particle is being used in this way, it is pronounced 'wa'.




You can think of it this way, when it is with other kana it is laughing 'ha' and having fun ...

はな

Ha! Ha! You are so funny na!


But by itself (as a particle), it is lonely.

あなた　は　つまらない。anata wa tumaranai.

You are boring.

WAt happened to everybody? I just want to be loved.


Something similar happens with へ (he) and を (wo). They lose their first sounds /h/ and /w/, so they are pronounced へ (e) and を (o).

へe

Eee! Sometimes I like to be alone, okay?

をo

O! No! I'm all by lonesome!


So in order to type the 'wa particle' you need to type ha into the IME.

konnichiha → こんにちは


Basically, long story short, sounds for characters have shifted over time. The は

particle retained its original pronunciation.

はDon't mess with a classic!


If you are interested in learning about the wonders of the は particle, I made a handy video for you. Click below to check it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy2A3_9gjJA

Is konnichiwa misspelled?

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