Nice to meet you in Japanese
Nice to meet you in Japanese is はじめまして (hajimemashite), said only the first time you meet someone. A Japanese introduction takes three lines: はじめまして, your name with です, and よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu).
はじめまして
- Romaji
- hajimemashite
- Meaning
- nice to meet you
Polite and casual
| Form | Who and when |
|---|---|
| はじめましてhajimemashitePolite | The first time you meet anyone, in person or in a first email. |
| よろしくお願いしますyoroshiku onegaishimasuPolite | Closes the introduction: I look forward to knowing you. |
| よろしくyoroshikuCasual | Closes it with people your age: classmates, a friend's friends. |
| どうぞよろしくお願いいたしますdōzo yoroshiku onegai itashimasuVery polite | A business meeting, a formal introduction in front of a group. |
| お会いできてうれしいですoai dekite ureshii desuPolite | I'm happy to meet you: correct, but はじめまして is what people say. |
When to use it
Say はじめまして the first time you meet someone: a classmate, a new coworker, a friend's parents, a host family. Then your name, then よろしくお願いします, with a small bow.
In writing, はじめまして opens a first email or message to someone you have not met.
When not to
Only once per person. The next time, say こんにちは, or お久しぶりです (ohisashiburi desu) if it has been a while.
At the end of a first meeting, nice meeting you is お会いできてよかったです (oai dekite yokatta desu), not はじめまして.
Examples
はじめまして。マリアです。よろしくお願いします。
Reading: はじめまして。マリアです。よろしくおねがいします。
Romaji: hajimemashite. Maria desu. yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
Nice to meet you. I'm Maria. I look forward to knowing you.
はじめまして、田中と申します。
Reading: はじめまして、たなかともうします。
Romaji: hajimemashite, Tanaka to mōshimasu.
Nice to meet you, my name is Tanaka. (Humble, for work.)
日本語を勉強しています。
Reading: にほんごをべんきょうしています。
Romaji: nihongo o benkyō shite imasu.
I'm studying Japanese.
お会いできてよかったです。
Reading: おあいできてよかったです。
Romaji: oai dekite yokatta desu.
It was nice meeting you.
bunka · culture
Japanese puts the family name first: is Tanaka Hana. At work people usually give only the family name, often with their company first, and exchange business cards, (meishi), offered and received with both hands.
Common mistakes
- Adding さん to your own name. さん is for other people: マリアです, never マリアさんです.
- Saying はじめまして again at the second meeting.
- Starting with 私の名前は every time. It is correct but heavy; Japanese drops what is obvious, so マリアです is enough.
Questions people ask
Say it out loud, with feedback
Knowing a phrase is not the same as saying it. In Naraio you practice phrases like these in short role plays with Hana, a tutor who listens, answers in natural Japanese and scores your pronunciation, and spaced reviews bring them back before they fade.