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Point of interest: もしもし
もしもし - hello (on phone)
もしもし is the most common way of answering the phone. It may also used partway through a call, as in
もしもし、
き
こえますか can you (still) hear me?The origin of the expression is the humble form of
い
う (say). When speaking to someone senior, or in front of a large audience, it is still customary to use the extended form 〜もう
しあ
げます, which means something along the lines of 'I offer my words up'.As a shortened form,
もう
す was used to get attention, which eventually became the form もしもし.Although もしもし is *common*, it is not 'polite', so it is best used for more casual conversations. In a business setting, or to answer the phone to an unknown caller, it would be more customary just to say 'はい、(name) です'.
See also:
- Japanese greetings
Kanji used in this point of interest
ジョウ ショウ うえ above うわ- above あげる to raise あがる to rise かみ first half, upper part のぼる to climb のぼせる to bring up, to raise のぼす to bring up
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