もしもし

When to use it

Picking up a private call, checking that the line is open (もしもし？聞こえますか), and, face to face, only to bring someone back from a daze (もしもし、大丈夫ですか). From 申す申す, ‘I speak, I speak’.

At work you do not answer with もしもし: はい、さくら商事でございます / はい、田中です. The caller identifies first: もしもし、山田ですが、田中さんはいらっしゃいますか. On LINE or by text nobody writes もしもし.

Examples

• もしもし、田中ですが。（もしもし、たなか です が）— Hello, this is Tanaka.
• もしもし？聞こえますか。（もしもし？きこえます か）— Hello? Can you hear me?
• はい、さくら商事の田中でございます。（はい、さくら しょうじ の たなか で ございます）— Hello, Sakura Trading, Tanaka speaking. (business: no もしもし)

Traps for Spanish, English and French speakers

• ‘¿Diga?’, ‘allô’ and ‘hello?’ open every call, including at work, so learners answer the office phone with もしもし. In business the greeting is はい + company name + です / でございます; もしもし there sounds like a home phone. A caller may say もしもし once, when unsure the line is open.
• English ‘hello’ also works face to face, so English speakers greet a shopkeeper with もしもし. In person it is こんにちは. もしもし to someone’s face means ‘anyone home?’ and is faintly insulting unless they really did space out.
• Four short syllables, も-し-も-し. Spanish speakers stress the third syllable and lengthen it (moshi-MO-shi); keep the four morae even and light.