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So you've just met someone who speaks Japanese, and you want to show respect to Ye Olde Nippon by making formalities in their mother tongue. It doesn't matter if it's a co-worker, exchange student, neighbor, or mutual friend – and it also doesn't matter whether or not they speak any English. Here are some quick rules of thumb that should help you make a good first impression.
Steps
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Say "Hajimemashite." This translates to "Nice to meet you," or to something similar to "Let's begin a friendship." Pronounce it (ha-she Exchanging a "Hajimemashite" is usually the first step to introducing yourself in Japanese. "Hajimemashite" is a conjugation of "hajimeru," which is a verb meaning "to begin". [1] X Research source
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Choose your greeting according to the time. It is acceptable, though less common, to substitute these greetings for a "Hajimemashite." In Japanese, there are three basic ways to say hello: ohayou , konnichiwa , and konbanwa . Much like English-speakers say, "Good morning," "Good day," and "Good evening," the Japanese use different greetings to distinguish each time of day. [2] X Research source
- "Ohayou" (pronounced just like "Ohio") means "good morning" and is used pretty much anytime before noon. To make it more polite, say "ohayou gozaimasu" (go-zah-ee-MAHS).
- "Konnichiwa" (KO-nee-chee-wah) means "good afternoon" and is also a standard hello. It can be used between noon and about 5 PM. [3] X Research source
- "Konbanwa" (kon-BAHN-wah) means "good evening," and is used between 5 PM and midnight. If you want to mix things up, you can say the Japanese equivalent of "Greetings," which is aisatsu (AH-ee-saht-soo).
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Introduce yourself. The most common and simple way to introduce yourself in Japanese is the phrase "Watashi no namae wa ___ desu." (wah-TAH-shee no nah-MAH-eh wah ___ dess). It means "My name is ___." If you're using your full name, say your surname first. [4] X Research source
- For example: "Watashi no namae wa Miyazaki Hayao desu," means "My name is Hayao Miyazaki."
- Bear in mind that Japanese people rarely use "watashi" in conversation. When introducing yourself, you can omit the "watashi wa" if you're comfortable trying to sound like a local. "Anata," which means "you," is similarly avoided. Thus, you can simply say "Joe desu," to tell someone that your name is Joe.
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Say "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," to end your initial introduction. Pronounce it (yor-OH-she-koo oh-nay-guy-ee-shee-mass). This translates roughly to "Please be nice to me." It may not be common to say something like this in English, but it is a very important phrase to remember when introducing yourself to native Japanese speakers. This is usually the last phrase that Japanese people use when they introduce themselves. [5] X Research source
- For a more casual form, you can just say "Yoroshiku." In almost all cases, however, you should err on the side of the more formal, more polite form.
- If you're introducing yourself casually to a young person of similar social standing, you can omit almost all of the extra words. Simply say, "Joe desu. Yoroshiku," to mean "I'm Joe. Nice to meet you." [6] X Research source
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Explain more about yourself. You can use the "Watashi wa ___ desu" form to share other qualities, like age, nationality, or profession. "Watashi wa Amerikajin desu," (wah-TAH-shee wah a-mer-i-cah-shin dress) means "I am American." "Watashi wa juugosai desu," (wah-TAH-shee wah ju-u-go-sigh dress) means "I am fifteen years old." [7] X Research source
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Start with a polite icebreaker. The Japanese equivalent of "How are you?" is "Ogenki desu ka?" (oh-GEN-kee dess kah). However, this is an actual inquiry into the person's health. If you'd rather avoid a response, say "Otenki wa ii desu ne?" (oh-TEN-kee wah EE dess neh), which means "The weather's nice, isn't it?" [8] X Research source
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Respond. If you said " Ogenki desu ka ," be ready to respond to their reply. When you ask this question, the person will most likely respond either "Genki desu," (GEN-kee dess) or "Maamaa desu" (MAH-MAH dess). The former means "I'm fine," and the latter means "I'm so-so." Either way: they will then ask you "Anata wa?" (ah-NAH-tah wah), which means "And you?" When they say this, you can respond "Genki desu, arigatou," (GEN-kee dess, ah-ree-GAH-to), which means "I'm fine, thank you." [9] X Research source
- You could also replace " arigatou " with "okagesama de" (oh-KAH-geh-sah-mah deh) which means basically the same thing.
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Know how to apologize. If there's ever a time when you don't know what to say (or don't know what the person just said) don't be afraid to apologize and say so. You can do this in English, if you must, and use apologetic body language, but it wouldn't hurt to learn how to say sorry in Japanese. If need be, say " gomen nasai "（ごめんなさい）(goh-mehn nah-SAH-ee), which means "I'm sorry." [10] X Research source
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Community Q&A
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QuestionCan I also say, "Watashi wa (your name) to iimasu"?Phạm Thành CôngCommunity AnswerYou can, but there is a more polite version of "to iimasu" which is "to moushimasu." I would use that instead.
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QuestionHow do I say "friend"?Community Answer友達 "to-mo-da-chi" means "friend."
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QuestionHow do I say, "Excuse me, please?"Community Answer"Sumimasen" すみません. This means excuse me, pardon me, and I'm sorry, but it can also be used as thank you. It's very common to use when asking for directions to a random person on the street.
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Tips
- Don't worry if you flub up on pronunciation. Japanese people usually find it cute when foreigners mess up at their language. Plus, they think of English in the same way that many English-speakers think of Japanese—cool, intriguing, and even mystic—so don't be embarrassed!Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- As they say, practice makes perfect, so make sure you're constantly practicing these phrases until you're absolutely positive you have them in your head. Practice, practice, practice!
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Warnings
- If you ever have a choice between polite and casual, go with polite – even in what seem like casual situations.Thanks
- Never put an honorific title (-san, -chan, -kun, etc.) after your own name. This is viewed as egotistical and rude.Thanks
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References
- ↑ https://www.tofugu.com/japanese/jikoshoukai/
- ↑ https://www.coscom.co.jp/learnjapanese101/wordcategory/basicwords_greeting.html
- ↑ http://www.linguajunkie.com/japanese/japanese-introduce-yourself
- ↑ https://www.kanpai-japan.com/learn-japanese/introduction-hajimemashite
- ↑ https://www.mlcjapanese.co.jp/survival_02.html
- ↑ http://learnjapanesepod.com/how-to-introduce-yourself-in-japanese/
- ↑ https://www.coscom.co.jp/ebksample/smp_ejp123/index_mokuji.html
- ↑ https://tokyocheapo.com/living/how-to-start-a-conversation-in-japanese/
- ↑ https://tokyocheapo.com/living/how-to-start-a-conversation-in-japanese/
About This Article
Article Summary
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To introduce yourself in Japanese, say "Watashi no namae wa Sarah desu," which translates to "My name is Sarah." For a shortened, less formal introduction, you can just say "Sarah desu." You can also say "Hajimemashite," which means "Nice to meet you." Whenever you introduce yourself to someone in Japanese, always end with "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," which means "Please be nice to me." To learn how to start a conversation with someone new in Japanese, scroll down!
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