If you are in Japan for business or travel, or meeting you Japanese friend’s family in your own country, we are sure you would love to impress your Japanese hosts. But you have heard that Japanese is difficult and a mistake can cause great confusion or trouble. Don’t worry!
Here we bring you some useful tips for that sucessful first meeting:
“Kon’nichi wa. Watashi wa [name] desu”
こ んにちは。 わたしは [name]です
My name is [name].
in this sentence,
こんにちは
Kon’nichi wa is the Japanese equivalent of “hello” and can be used at any time of day.
わ たし
Watashi is a polite way for males or females to say “I” or “me.”
は
wa is a particle that follows the topic you are going to be talking about.
です
Desu is called a copula, and refers to one type of “to be” verb.
Just as important, remember to say:
はじめまして (Hajimemashite), meaning “nice to meet you”;
or the unique expression:
どうぞ よろしくお願いします ( Dozo yoroshiku onegai shimasu) which roughly translates to, “Please look favorably upon me.”
Using this phrase shows respect for the person and also that you are looking forward to a good relationship with them. It is sure to make a great impression!
So keep in mind that in Japanese, we give our full names by saying 1) last name, then, 2) first name. So, take the person’s last name, attach the suffix san (さん), and now you can greet people politely in Japanese!
You will surprise everyone with your Japanese skills and politeness. We are sure that your efforts won’t go unappreciated!
