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Why do Japanese people say hello twice moshi moshi when they answer the phone?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
When greeting someone on the phone in Japan, you will hear the set phrase "Moshi Moshi". This is done to prove that the other person on the phone is not a ghost.
According to Japanese lore ghosts and kitsune (mischievous fox spirits) are incapable of repeating the word Moshi. Back in the days evil ghosts and kitsune would sneak up behind unsuspecting people and say 'Moshi!'. The victim, thinking that they were being greeted by a fellow human being, would turn around and promptly have their soul stolen/eaten/etc by the offending spirit. So the 'Moshi Moshi' folk remedy was created as the offending spirits could not say 'Moshi' twice. If you were greeted from behind with a 'Moshi!' you could reply with a 'Moshi moshi?' and if you received another 'Moshi Moshi!" in response you could be assured that you were not going to have your soul eaten by a hungry ghost.
This practice has survived into the modern world with it's usage as a telephone greeting and you'll even find that Japanese telemarketers use it.
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Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
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Why do Japanese people say Moshi Moshi when they answer the phone?
Fox spirits are known to kill Japanese people. Those foxes cant say moshi moshi. so when u pick up the phone you have to be sure it's not a evil fox so you say moshi moshi and if the person doesn't say moshi moshi back you know its a evil fox. Example: You: Oh! the phone is ringing!(picks up phone) Moshi moshi? Fox: Uuhh, hello. You: AAAH! EVIL FOX MAN! (hangs up) You: Oh! the phone is ringing!(picks up phone) Moshi moshi? Mom: Moshi moshi! How are you dear? You: Hi mom! PHEW!
How you say hello in hieroglyphics?
Hieroglyphics are a written language, therefore it is impossible to "say" hello in it. Hello in ancient Egyptian however is "Iwy em hotep."
In what ways people communicate in japan?
-Mail - Phone - Speak - Newspaper - Internet!
What is the origin of hello?
1883, alt. of hallo (1840), itself an alt. of holla, hollo, a shout to attract attention, first recorded 1588. Perhaps from holla! "stop, cease." Popularity as a greeting coincides with use of the telephone, where it won out over Alexander Graham Bell's suggestion, ahoy. Central telephone exchange operators were known as hello-girls (1889). "Hello, formerly an Americanism, is now nearly as common as hullo in Britain (Say who you are; do not just say 'hello' is the warning given in our telephone directories) and the Englishman cannot be expected to give up the right to say hello if he likes it better than his native hullo. [H.W. Fowler, "A Dictionary of Modern English Usage," 1926] http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=hello It is true that Bell advocated the use of "ahoy" as a telephonic greeting (an idea which has considerable charm), but Edison didn't invent "hello" by a long shot. As a matter of fact, "hello" antedates the telephone by several centuries. Folks in Chaucer's time greeted each other with "hallow," which may have come from the Old French "hola," meaning essentially "stop!" or "whoa!" By the time the telephone came along, Americans were saying "hullo" to each other every day, so it was a short jump to "hello." I had a friend years ago who persisted in answering his telephone by saying "telephone," a daring innovation which made perfect sense to me but which I, sadly, lacked the courage to help popularize. In any case, "hello" as a telephone greeting now seems to be nearly worldwide. A few years ago I dialed a long-distance call to what I thought was Connecticut, but the man who answered the phone spoke no English beyond "hello." This is not terribly unusual these days, but when I received my phone bill, I found that I had inadvertently discovered yet another place where they answer the telephone with "hello" -- Cairo, Egypt. http://www.word-detective.com/back-l2.html#hello Alexander Graham Bell encouraged the use of 'ahoy, ahoy' when answering his "electrical speech machine." Although Bell was not a sailor, 'ahoy' is thought to have nautical roots, perhaps giving us the popular 'hi." Ahoy, ahoy' was used by operators at the world's first telephone exchange set up in Connecticut in 1878. By 1889 however, telephone operators had become known as 'hello-girls. 'Hello or hullo is commonly used today. Legend suggests that Thomas Edison first used 'hello' on the telephone but hello's etymology predates the telephone. There are innumerable theories about where the word 'hello' comes from. One suggestion is that it is an adaptation of the old French, 'hola', meaning stop or cease. Another is that its origin is 'halloo', a once common call to a passing ferry boat operator. It may even have a biblical source, as a contraction of 'whole be thou' or 'Hail! Thou." By the 1880's hello was ubiquitous in everyday speech. http://earliestlark.com/2007/09/06/ahoy-ahoy/
What was the society like in which the automobile occurred?
people drove horse-drawn wagons. there was no such thing as rock music, no TV, no radio, limited phone, no cell phone, mostly telegraph, etc...
What does moshe moshe mean in Japanese?
The romaji is actually Moshi-moshi Which is just a greeting used over the phone. Basically the same as hello, except for just over the phone.
What is moshi moshi in English?
It's how the Japanese answer the phone. It's similar to hello but only for the phone.
What does moshi moshi mean?
It's how the Japanese answer the phone. It's similar to hello but only for the phone.
How do you say hello en Japanese?
Hello: Konnichiha but is pronounced as Konnichiwa.Good Morning: Ohayou Gozaimasu(formal) Ohayou(Informal, but mostly used)Hello(To answer the phone): Moshi Moshi
Why do Japanese people say Moshi Moshi when they answer the phone?
Fox spirits are known to kill Japanese people. Those foxes cant say moshi moshi. so when u pick up the phone you have to be sure it's not a evil fox so you say moshi moshi and if the person doesn't say moshi moshi back you know its a evil fox. Example: You: Oh! the phone is ringing!(picks up phone) Moshi moshi? Fox: Uuhh, hello. You: AAAH! EVIL FOX MAN! (hangs up) You: Oh! the phone is ringing!(picks up phone) Moshi moshi? Mom: Moshi moshi! How are you dear? You: Hi mom! PHEW!
What is the meaning of moshimoshi as said by celestial spirit Sagitarius in the anime Fairy Tail?
The definition of "moshi-moshi" said by Sagitarius in the the anime Fairy Tail is just the saying of 'hello' or 'hi'. Japanese people say "moshi-moshu" when they answer a phone call.
How do you say hey guys in Japanese?
Hey, listen = Oy, chotto kiitekureyo. Hey, you! = Oy, omae! More informally, "Ohayo" may be used like "hi" among friends "Moshi moshi" is how you might answer the phone , like our "hello"
What is the word 'hi' when translated from English to Japanese?
Moshi Moshi is how you would answer if you were answering the phone in japanese. however there is no exact translation to say hello in japan. only , good morning = ohayoo gozaimasu good afternoon=konnichi wa good evening=konban wa good night = ohyasumi nasai goodbye=sayoonara
How do you right hello in janpese?
moshi moshi (phone), ohayoo (good morning) konnichiwa (afternoon), konbanwa (evening) they greet most of the time
How do you say you want that hello kitty phone in Japanese?
you want or i want? i want that hello kitty phone = sono kittychan ga hoshii
What is Hello in Japanese?
in Japanese:ohayoou (good morning)konnichiwa (good afternoon)konbanwa (good evening)moshi moshi (when answering the phone)In general, casually, people say 'Ohayou'. Good morning (OR first time greeting someone in that day)- ohayougozaimasu / ohayou Good evening - konnichiwa Other - konbanwaこんにちは Or Kon'nichiwa :) x: konnichiha (pronounced as konnichiwa)Good morning: ohayou gozaimasu (formal) ohayou (informal, but mostly used)(to answer the phone): moshimoshi
How to say hello in japan?
Ohayou - good morning Konnichiwa - good day Konbanwa - good evening Haroo - westernised way of saying hello You can also say "Oi" but only between friends because this is considered rude otherwise. When answering a phone you say "moshi moshi" but only for phone calls.
