Quote:
Originally Posted by robhol
Both of them are used as "sleep tight" or "good night" or something to that effect. Literally, the former means rest (noun) while the latter is an imperative.
Please correct me if I'm wrong.  |
Correct.
@OP: General rule of thumb for Japanese greetings: The longer it is, the more formal it tends to be. 'Polite' greetings are also usually longer.
Then again, this is true for greetings in most languages as well.
「おやすみ」 also has other meanings, such as "Holiday" or "Vacation".
I think 「おやすみ」, when used as a greeting, should be avoided when speaking with strangers (or people you do not know well.) I may be wrong in this case though, so it's best to check with a native speaker.