Nice to Meet You in Japanese: はじめまして (Hajimemashite) and How to Introduce Yourself

Nice to meet you in Japanese: はじめまして (hajimemashite)

Nice to meet you in Japanese is はじめまして (hajimemashite, “nice to meet you”). You say it once, the first time you meet someone, then give your name and finish with よろしくお願いします (よろしくおねがいします, yoroshiku onegai shimasu, “please remember me”).

The two phrases do different jobs. はじめまして is the greeting: StepUp Japanese says it almost literally means "we are meeting for the first time", so it only fits a first meeting. よろしくお願いします is the closing. It asks the other person to be kind to you, and it stays useful long after the first meeting.

It's written with six hiragana: は, じ, め, ま, し and て. The dictionary marks the word as usually written in kana, with 初めまして as the kanji form.

If you only learn one thing from this page, learn this order: はじめまして, your name, よろしくお願いします.

Ways to say nice to meet you: polite, formal and casual

Here are the phrases, from the opener to the closings, most formal first and then casual:

The standard closing. StepUp Japanese calls よろしくお願いします the standard polite phrase. It fits first meetings, requests and the end of emails. Adding いたします makes it more humble, for superiors and for people outside your company, and 何卒 before it makes the request stronger still (Mynavi).

The very formal closing. お会いできて光栄です is the most polite way (StepUp Japanese), and JapanesePod101 lists お会いできて嬉しいです and お目にかかれて光栄です as formal too. They are built on 光栄 (こうえい, kōei, “honour”) and 嬉しい (うれしい, ureshii, “happy”). Most learners can skip them at first.

The casual closing. With friends, よろしくね is the casual form. Keep plain よろしく for people your age. To a teacher or a boss, use the full phrase.

When to say hajimemashite, and when not to

Say はじめまして when it's truly the first meeting: a new classmate, a host family, a colleague on your first day. It should only be used the first time you meet. After that, switch to an ordinary greeting. Hello in Japanese covers the choices by time of day, and how are you in Japanese covers what comes next.

よろしくお願いします works in more places. The dictionary gives two senses: "please remember me" and "please do" or "please take care of". That's why it's also used to ask for a favour. At a first meeting, it shows goodwill.

How to introduce yourself in Japanese: 自己紹介 (jikoshōkai)

A self-introduction, 自己紹介 (じこしょうかい, jikoshōkai, “self-introduction”), has a fixed order. Tofugu's basic path is greeting, name and closing. Its expanded version, and the other pages, add where you're from, your job and a hobby in between:

1. Greeting: はじめまして.
2. Your name: 私は〇〇と申します (Tofugu's pattern).
3. Where you're from: アメリカから来ました or アメリカの出身です (Tofugu's examples: swap in your country).
4. Your job or study: 会社員です (Tofugu's example for an office worker).
5. A hobby, if you like: 趣味は〇〇です (Tofugu's pattern).
6. Closing: よろしくお願いします.

Then bow. As a template, the pieces fit together like this:

はじめまして。私は〇〇と申します。アメリカの出身です。会社員です。趣味は〇〇です。よろしくお願いします。

Swap in what's true for you. Tofugu and Matcha both give the 来ました form. Tofugu says 出身 refers more to where you were born or grew up than where you live now. For the country, pick from アメリカ (amerika, “(United States of) America”), イギリス (igirisu, “United Kingdom”) and so on. If you are at university, the word you want is 学生 (がくせい, gakusei, “student (esp. a university student)”), used in the same slot as 会社員 (かいしゃいん, kaishain, “company employee”). School pupils usually give their level instead, such as 高校生. JapanesePod101 also puts your age in an introduction: counting people and age shows how.

Saying your name: my name is...

JapanesePod101 gives three ways to say your name, with the name 'Yumi' as its example: 私はユミです (the most common), 私はユミと言います (slightly more formal) and 私の名前はユミです (a good answer when someone asks your name). The word for "I" here is 私 (わたし, watashi, “I”), the standard word learners use in an introduction, and the one Tofugu and JapanesePod101 use in all their examples. The word for name is 名前 (なまえ, namae, “name”).

The other verb is 申す (もうす, mōsu, “to say”), in 申します. The dictionary marks it as humble, and 〇〇と申します is the pattern Tofugu teaches. In business, the company and department come first, then the name and と申します (Mynavi).

Tofugu notes that Japanese speakers give the family name first. As a learner, many people say their full name in their own order. Want your name in katakana? Try the name in Japanese tool, and read Japanese last names for the most common family names.

Bowing and business cards (meishi)

At a first meeting in Japan, a bow usually goes with the words. Sources are not all alike on the timing. Tofugu says to bow at the start and again at the end of your introduction, after you finish saying よろしくお願いします, and not while you are talking. On handshakes, the sources differ. JapanesePod101 says you should "bow and shake hands" most of the time. Tofugu says the opposite: don't move in for a handshake, bow instead. If the other person offers a hand, taking it is the safe choice.

Japanese Wikipedia describes three bows in business by angle. A 会釈 (えしゃく, eshaku, “slight bow (as a greeting or sign of gratitude)”) is about 15 degrees, for passing someone in a corridor. A 敬礼 (けいれい, keirei) is about 30 degrees, for greeting visitors, and it's the most common. A 最敬礼 (さいけいれい, saikeirei, “a respectful bow”) is about 45 degrees, for important clients and formal apologies.

In business, first meetings often include a business card, a 名刺 (めいし, meishi). Japanese Wikipedia says exchanging them at a first business meeting is customary, and that doing it properly counts as business manners. Mynavi gives the steps:

• Stand up. Never swap cards while sitting.
• Say your company, department and name as you offer your card.
• Receive the other person's card with both hands and say 頂戴いたします. The dictionary marks 頂戴 (ちょうだい, chōdai) as a humble word.
• Check the name aloud. If you can't read it, ask politely.
• Keep the card on the table while you talk. Don't put it straight into a pocket.

Today, many people swap cards at the same moment.

How to reply to nice to meet you

When someone says よろしくお願いします to you, you can say it back. A warmer answer is こちらこそよろしくお願いします. The dictionary glosses こちらこそ (kochirakoso, “it is I who should say so”), and StepUp Japanese translates the full reply as "the pleasure is mine".

If someone says はじめまして first, say はじめまして back, then your name.

After that, how are you in Japanese covers the small talk, and goodbye in Japanese covers how to leave.

Questions about nice to meet you in Japanese

Is Douzo Yoroshiku nice to meet you?

Yes. どうぞよろしく (dōzoyoroshiku, “pleased to meet you”) is in the dictionary as "pleased to meet you; how do you do". The fuller どうぞよろしくお願いします is よろしくお願いします with どうぞ added, and it works in business too (Mynavi). Use either after はじめまして and your name.

How do you say "nice to meet you" in Japanese according to Duolingo?

Courses word it in different ways, but the standard answer is はじめまして, usually followed by よろしくお願いします. Check the wording in your own lesson against the table above.

What does "ja mata ne" mean?

"Ja mata ne" is a casual goodbye: "see you later". じゃあ means "well then" and また means "again". じゃあまたね is casual with a little extra politeness, and fine for a friend's parents or a colleague you don't know well (Migaku). It's for leaving, not meeting: the dictionary lists じゃあまた (jāmata, “see you later”) and またね (matane, “bye”) as ways to say bye. See goodbye in Japanese.

How do you pronounce "pleased to meet you" in Japanese?

Say はじめまして as six syllables: ha-ji-me-ma-shi-te (hajimemashite). Then say よろしくお願いします as yo-ro-shi-ku o-ne-ga-i shi-ma-su (yoroshiku onegai shimasu). Listen to a native speaker and copy the rhythm.

How do you casually say "nice to meet you" in Japanese?

With friends, say はじめまして and then よろしくね, which is very informal. Plain よろしく also works among people your age. Keep both for friends: with a boss, a teacher or a client, use よろしくお願いします.

Is it polite to say kudasai?

Yes, it's polite enough for everyday use. Migaku says ください (kudasai) is "polite enough for most everyday situations without being overly formal", and says お願いします carries more formality. It's not the phrase for a boss or client, and it isn't used to meet someone: for that, use よろしくお願いします. See please in Japanese.

What does "I suki you" mean?

"I suki you" isn't a Japanese sentence: it mixes English with the Japanese word 好き (すき, suki, “liking”). People who search it usually mean 好きです, which can mean "I like you" or, in a romantic setting, "I love you", according to Alex Rock in Japanese. The dictionary lists the romantic sense too. Read I love you in Japanese before you say it to anyone.

What is the 80/20 rule in Japanese?

The 80/20 rule is the Pareto principle, which StoryLearning describes as "80% of your results are produced by only 20% of your efforts". For introductions, the 20% is はじめまして, your name and よろしくお願いします.

How do I politely introduce myself?

Use the order above: はじめまして, your name, where you're from and what you do, then よろしくお願いします, with a bow. Say 私は〇〇と申します for your name, and use よろしくお願いいたします in business or with someone senior.

How do you say "my name is" in Japanese?

The usual pattern is 私は〇〇です, with your name in place of 〇〇. A slightly more formal version is 私は〇〇と言います, and the humble one is 私は〇〇と申します. JapanesePod101 also gives 私の名前は〇〇です. Japanese speakers give the family name first, but many learners say their full name in their own order.

How do you say what the f * ck in Japanese?

This page sticks to polite Japanese, so it won't teach swearing. If you only want to react to something surprising, ALC's English-learning site lists casual choices: えっ (e, “huh?”), 嘘 (うそ, uso, “lie”) (used like "you're kidding!") and マジ (maji, “serious”) (マジで, "are you serious?", common among young people). With a stranger or a boss, stay with polite words.

Sources

• Readings and meanings: JMdict (EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0).
• The phrases for meeting someone: JapanesePod101, How to Say Nice to Meet You in Japanese; Step Up Japanese, How Do You Say "Nice to Meet You" in Japanese?.
• The order of a self-introduction and the name patterns: Tofugu, Jikoshoukai: How to Introduce Yourself in Japanese; JapanesePod101, How to introduce yourself in Japanese; Matcha, How to Introduce Yourself in Japanese: 16 Useful Phrases.
• よろしくお願いします, いたします and 何卒: Mynavi, 「よろしくお願いします」の意味と使い方.
• Business cards: Mynavi, 名刺交換のマナー; Japanese Wikipedia, 名刺.
• Bows: Japanese Wikipedia, お辞儀.
• Casual goodbyes: Migaku, See You Later in Japanese. Kudasai: Migaku, How to Say Please in Japanese.
• 好き: Alex Rock in Japanese, The Real Meaning of Suki in Japanese. The 80/20 rule: StoryLearning, 8 Ways To Apply The 80/20 Rule To Language Learning. Surprise reactions: ALC, Expressing Surprise in Japanese.
• Reviewed independently; the points about bowing, handshakes, business cards, よろしくね and the casual and formal closings are waiting for a native speaker's check.