hello (when answering at the beginning of a call) · used to confirm that the person being addressed is listening, or to confirm if anyone is listening · hello (as an in-person greeting)
köken: Originally a compound of 御 (o-, honorific prefix) + 早く (hayaku, “early”, adverb), from adjective 早い (hayai, “early”). Modern Japanese -i adjectives formerly ended in -ki for the attributive form. This medial /k/ dropped out during the Muromachi period, both for the attributive form (-ki becoming -i) and for the adverbial form (-ku becoming -u). However, the adverbial form reverted back to -ku…
köken: Blend of ciao + hello, popularised by a greeting used by Inaba Meguru (因幡 めぐる) in the game Sabbat of the Witch by YUZUSOFT, released 27th February 2015 (21st July 2023 as for the Chinese version).
hello (greeting used when answering the telephone; call for response if it is not clear if anyone is present or listening; also used sarcastically) · come on (used to express disapproval of or exasperation for what someone has said or done)