These all mean "I'm going to say (talk)." Eventually it was shortened to "moushi" (申し) and was used to catch somebody's attention, like saying "hey!" Technically, when you say "moshi moshi," you're politely saying "I'm going to talk" twice. But it feels more like, "Hey, dude."

Why do you say Moshi Moshi twice?

'Moshi Moshi' is an abbreviation of 'Mosu Mosu' (the Japanese verb 'to speak'). ... Ghosts have a long history in Japanese culture – they are called 妖怪 (youkai). According to the historian, saying 'Moshi Moshi' twice was the way to prove you were not a ghost. Apparently ghosts can only say 'Moshi' once!

Does Moshi Moshi mean?

What does Moshi Moshi mean? According to the dictionary jisho the word moshi moshi [もしもし] means hello on the phone or hello, and it also means excuse me! to call someone ... ... Initially, the words used were moushiagemasu [申し上げます], moushimasu [申します] where both mean "I will say (speak)".