Nice to Meet You in Japanese 👋 First Impression Count!

By LTL Team HQ
Learn Japanese
October 2, 2024

Learn How to Say “Nice to Meet You” in Japanese // Formal & Informal Phrases

It’s true what they say – you only get one shot at a first impression!

Unfortunately, many people may find greetings in Japanese to be very difficult, as they vary widely depending on the situation and the relationship with the other party.

In this article, we will introduce Japanese greetings you can use when meeting someone for the first time.

The good news is that compared to other situations, first-meeting greetings are not that complicated.

👉 The Japanese language has an all-purpose word, はじめまして hajimemashite. If you remember this, it will be useful in many situations.

Unlike in Western cultures, Japanese people rarely make physical contact with each other, such as shaking hands or hugging. This is true in both casual and business situations.

Recently, handshaking has become more common in business situations, but it should still be considered uncommon in general.

Instead, it is most common to nod or bow while making (some) eye contact in Japan.

Nice to Meet You in Japanese || Orthodox Greetings
Nice to Meet You in Japanese || Examples
Nice to Meet You in Japanese || Expressions for advanced learners
Nice to Meet You in Japanese || FAQs

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Nice to Meet You in Japanese || Orthodox Greetings

In Japanese, almost 100% of the time you only say はじめまして hajimemashite when meeting someone for the first time.

There are of course several variations, but the phrase はじめまして hajimemashite is the foundation of the phrase, so it is most important to remember this.

Whether the person you are meeting is older or younger, the situation is business or casual, you are supposed to say “はじめまして hajimemashite” at a first meeting.

^{Hajimemashite, douzo yoroshiku onnegai shimasu.}

はじめまして、どうぞよろしくお願いします。

_{Nice to meet you.}

^{Doumo hajimemashite, jon to moushi masu.}

どうもはじめまして、ジョンと申します。

_{Nice to meet you, my name is John.}

The phrase “はじめまして hajimemashite” literally means “This is the first time I have met you.”

By saying this, you can show your respect to the other person and the opportunity to engage. Essentially, as long as you declare “はじめまして hajimemashite,” you are free to start a conversation.

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Nice to Meet You in Japanese || Examples

Let’s see how the phrase is used in examples.

Example 1: Business situations

はじめまして、A社の佐藤と申します。よろしくお願いします。
はじめまして、Aしゃのさとうともうします。よろしくおねがいします。
Hajimemashite, A sha no Satou to moushimasu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
Nice to meet you, I’m Sato from Company A.

はじめまして、B社の田中と申します。こちらこそよろしくお願いいたします。
はじめまして、Bしゃのたなかと申します。こちらこそよろしくおねがいいたします。
Hajimemashite, B sha no Tanaka to moushimasu. Kochira koso yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.
Nice to meet you too, I’m Tanaka from Company B.

One point to note is that Japanese people usually tell the organization to which they belong first when they give their name. This applies to both students and working people.

This may seem strange to English speakers, but it is one manifestation of Japanese culture’s emphasis on organization and order.

はじめまして、東京大学1年生の伊藤と申します。
はじめまして、とうきょうだいがくいちねんせいのいとうともうします。
Hajimemashite, toukyou daigaku ichinensei no Itou to moushimasu.
Nice to meet you, I’m Ito, a freshman at the University of Tokyo.

Example 2: Casual situations

^{Hajimemashite, Yamada desu. douzo yoroshiku.}

はじめまして、山田です。どうぞよろしく。

_{Nice to meet you, I’m Yamada.}

^{Satou desu. Kochira koso yoroshiku.}

佐藤です。こちらこそよろしく。

_{I’m Sato, nice to meet you too.}

As you can see, “はじめまして hajimemashite” doesn’t change. Rather, politeness depends on whether you add “お願いします[ねが]” to “よろしく yoroshiku.”

When you respond to “はじめまして Hajimemashite,” you repeat the same phrase, adding こちらこそ kochira koso.”

こちらこそ kochirakoso, which is translated into “same here”, is also a useful expression in greetings.

JAPANESE & ROMAJI	ENGLISH
ありがとうございました。 arigatou gozaimashita.	Thank you
こちらこそ、ありがとうございました。 kochirakoso arigatou gozaimashita	Thank you too.
どうもすみませんでした。 doumo sumimasen deshita.	I’m sorry.
こちらこそ、すみませんでした。 kochirakoso, sumimasen deshita.	I’m sorry too.

はじめまして、佐藤です。お名前をお伺いしてもいいですか？
はじめまして、さとうです。おなまえをおうかがいしてもいいですか?
Hajimemashite, Satou desu. Onamae wo oukagai shitemo ii desuka?
Nice to meet you, I’m Sato. May I ask your name?”

You can use “はじめまして hajimemashite” as a starter for a conversation.

はじめまして、受付はこちらですか？
はじめまして、うけつけはこちらですか？
Hajimemashite, uketsuke ha kochira desuka?
Nice to meet you, is the reception desk here?

In situations like meeting up in a crowded place, you can say like this:

^{Sumimasen, Tanaka san desuka?}

すみません、田中さんですか？

_{Excuse me, are you Mr.Tanaka?}

^{Hai, soudesu.}

はい、そうです。

_{Yes, I am.}

^{Hajimemashite, Satou desu.}

はじめまして、佐藤です

_{Nice to meet you, I’m Sato.}

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Nice to Meet You in Japanese || Expressions for Advanced Learners

As we have seen above, there is not much variation in the phrase “はじめまして hajimemashite” in Japanese, and a wide variety of expressions can be created by adding various things to this base.

Let’s see such variations.

JAPANESE & ROMAJI	ENGLISH
はじめまして、お会いできて光栄です。はじめまして、おあいできてこうえいです。 hajimemashite, oai dekite kouei desu.	Nice to meet you, it’s an honor to meet you.
はじめまして、ご高名はかねがねうかがっております。はじめまして、ごこうめいはかねがねうかがっております。 Hajimemashite, gokoumei ha kanegane ukagatte orimasu.	Nice to meet you, I’ve heard of your fame. [Similar to ‘Your reputation precedes you’].
お初にお目にかかります。おはつにおめにかかります。 Ohatsu ni omeni kakarimasu.	Nice to meet you.

These are very polite and advanced expressions to say “nice to meet you” in Japanese.

The first two expressions are especially effective when the other party is well-known. These expressions politely convey that you already know the person and that he or she has a good reputation.

JAPANESE	ROMAJI	ENGLISH
光栄こうえい	kouei	honor
高名こうめい	koumei	fame, good reputation
かねがね	kanegane	since long ago (polite expression)
お初におはつに	ohatsuni	for the first time (old-fashioned expression)
お目にかかるおめにかかる	ome ni kakaru	seeing someone (polite expression)

お初にお目にかかります
おはつにおめにかかります
Ohatsu ni ome ni kakarimasu
This is my first time to see you

This phrase is also literally “this is my first time to see you,” but only used in limited situations. When used in normal situations, it gives a strange impression of being a samurai.

When is this expression used? It is an appropriate expression when meeting someone very senior for the first time. When you need to abase yourself and be humble, you can say this instead of “はじめまして hajimemashite.”

Another situation is where you and the other person have already communicated with each other online or via mail, but you meet for the first time in real life.

In this case, it is strange to say “はじめまして hajimemashite” because you have already known each other, but it is necessary to refer to the fact that this is the first time you meet in real life. In such a case, you can say:

お初にお目にかかります
おはつにおめにかかります[はつ
ohatsu ni ome ni kakarimasu.
It’s nice to meet you.
(This is my first time to meet you)

Derived from this expression is another phrase: お初おはつ ohatsu or お初ですおはつです – ohatsu desu on the Internet to say “nice to meet you.” But this is very old-fashioned and sounds like something only the users from the beginning of the Internet would say.

Nevertheless, in anime sometimes these kinds of old-fashioned slang are used as lines. So it wouldn’t be useless to know these obsolete words!

That’s all for this article – if you learn these phrases, you will have no trouble in meeting and greeting Japanese people in real life. Good luck with your studies!

🌎 Studying languages to travel? Find out how to say Nice to Meet You in Spanish too!

Still have any questions on this topic? Ask away here!

Nice to Meet You in Japanese || FAQs

What does “はじめまして hajimemashite” literally mean in Japanese?

“はじめまして hajimemashite” literally means “This is the first time I have met you.”

Do Japanese people shake hands when they meet for the first time?

Traditionally, physical contact like handshakes is uncommon in Japanese culture, especially in business settings. Bowing and nodding are more typical forms of greeting.

When should I use “よろしくお願いします[ねが] yoroshiku onegai shimasu” after saying “はじめまして hajimemashite”?

“よろしくお願いします[ねが] yoroshiku onegaishimasu” expresses a desire for good relations in the future and is commonly used soon after “はじめまして hajiemashite” to show politeness and respect.

What are some advanced expressions for “Nice to meet you” in Japanese?

Advanced expressions include “お会いできて光栄です[あ][こうえい]oai dekite kouei desu” meaning “It’s an honor to meet you,” and “ご高名はかねがねうかがっております[こうめい]gokoumei ha kanegane ukagatte orimasu” indicating respect for someone’s fame or reputation.

Why is stating your affiliation important when introducing yourself in Japan?

In Japanese culture, stating your affiliation (such as company or school) first is a sign of respect on social hierarchy and order.

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