Learn How to finish up work in a Japanese office
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Intro |
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| Risa: Imagine you're working in a Japanese company office in Tokyo. You're going to leave the office after work. What do you say? こんにちは。りさです. Risa here. Anyone can learn the set phrases to use in a Japanese office. In this lesson, you'll learn them. Mark is finishing up a day at work. Let's watch! |
| Dialogues |
| Mark: お先に失礼します。 |
| Yoshi: お疲れ様でした。 |
| Mark: 佐野課長、お先に失礼します。 |
| Mr. Sano: お疲れ様。 |
| Risa: Now with English translation. |
| Mark: I'm leaving, and see you tomorrow. |
| Yoshi: See you tomorrow. |
| Mark: Mr. Sano, I'm leaving, and see you tomorrow. |
| Mr. Sano: See you tomorrow. |
| Vocab |
| Risa: Here are the key words and phrases you need. |
| Mark: 先 |
| Risa: 先 |
| Alisha: ahead, before |
| Risa: 先, 先, 先 |
| Mark: 失礼 |
| Risa: 失礼 |
| Alisha: impoliteness, discourtesy |
| Risa: 失礼, 失礼, 失礼 |
| Mark: 失礼する |
| Risa: 失礼する |
| Alisha: to be rude |
| Risa: 失礼する, 失礼する, 失礼する |
| Mark: 疲れ |
| Risa: 疲れ |
| Alisha: tiredness, fatigue |
| Risa: 疲れ, 疲れ, 疲れ |
| Mark: お疲れ様 |
| Risa: お疲れ様 |
| Alisha: thank you, hello (greeting at work), good work |
| Risa: お疲れ様, お疲れ様, お疲れ様 |
| Mark: 課長 |
| Risa: 課長 |
| Alisha: department chief |
| Risa: 課長, 課長, 課長 |
| Key Phrases |
| Risa: Here are the key phrases from the scene. |
| Alisha: In the scene, what did Mark say to his co-worker when leaving the office before him? |
| Mark: お先に失礼します。 |
| Risa: お先に。お先に。お先に。 |
| Alisha: This is an adverbial phrase meaning "after you" or "before you" depending on the context. In this case, it's used to mean "before you." |
| Risa: 先 |
| Alisha: …is a noun which basically means "the tip of something" or "the head of something" and when it's attached to a particle… |
| Risa: に... |
| Alisha: …it makes an adverbial phrase meaning "earlier than" or "ahead." So, |
| Risa: 先に |
| Alisha: means "before you" in this case. |
| Risa:お |
| Alisha: …is added to the beginning as a show of respect. |
| Risa: お先に |
| Alisha: The next part is, |
| Risa: 失礼します。失礼します。失礼します。 |
| Risa: 失礼 |
| Alisha: is a noun meaning "impoliteness" or "discourtesy." When it's used together with... |
| Risa: します |
| Alisha: the polite form of a verb, |
| Risa: する |
| Alisha: …meaning "to do," it literally means "do something impolite." But when it's used in the form of… |
| Risa: 失礼します |
| Alisha: ...it becomes a formal greeting used when you enter or leave a room containing someone superior than you. |
| Alisha: So, altogether we have, |
| Risa: お先に失礼します。 |
| Alisha: The expression itself implies that the speaker feels bad about leaving earlier than the other people, but it's regarded as a general goodbye when leaving the office, like "see you tomorrow" in English. |
| Alisha: Now you try! Say Mark's line. |
| Mark: お先に失礼します。 |
| Alisha: How did Yoshi respond to Mark as he left the office? |
| Yoshi: お疲れ様でした。 |
| Risa: お疲れ様。お疲れ様。お疲れ様 |
| Alisha: There are various ways to translate this phrase in English depending on the situation, but it's used to express an appreciation of someone's hard work. |
| Risa: 疲れ |
| Alisha: is a noun meaning "tiredness" and |
| Risa: お |
| Alisha: an honorific prefix is added at the beginning, and it's followed by an honorific suffix |
| Risa: 様 |
| Alisha: Altogether... |
| Risa: お疲れ様 |
| Alisha: …implies that the person must be tired because of their hard work and expresses your appreciation. But it can be used as a general send-off to a person who is leaving the office, like "see you tomorrow" in English. |
| Alisha: When you want to say it politely, like Yoshi did, you say… |
| Risa: お疲れ様でした。 |
| Alisha: …adding the past form of copula, |
| Risa: でした。 |
| Alisha: On the other hand, Mark's boss, Mr. Sano, just said… |
| Risa: お疲れ様 |
| Alisha: …because he is Mark's boss and so he can speak informally. If you want to say it even more casually to your close co-workers, you can just say… |
| Risa: お疲れ |
| Alisha: Now you try! Say Yoshi's line to reply to Mark. |
| Mark: お先に失礼します。 |
| Yoshi: お疲れ様でした。 |
Lesson focus |
| Risa: Now, the lesson focus. Here's how to greet your coworkers. |
| Alisha: In Japanese companies there is a seniority system based on how long you've worked there. You might hear the words, |
| Risa: 先輩 |
| Alisha: "seniors," and |
| Risa: 後輩 |
| Risa: "juniors." |
| Alisha: For example, if you've been working for a company for two years, any co-worker who has been working there for over two years would be your senior... |
| Risa: 先輩 |
| Alisha: …and anyone who has been working there less than two years is your junior.. |
| Risa: 後輩 |
| Alisha: Even if their titles and positions are the same, |
| Risa: 先輩 |
| Alisha: are usually supposed to teach or guide |
| Risa: 後輩。 |
| Alisha: You need to speak politely to your |
| Risa: 先輩 |
| Alisha: and you can speak casually to your |
| Risa: 後輩。 |
| Alisha: Do you remember when Mark and his boss met by the elevator? |
| Alisha: Mark greeted his boss politely and said… |
| Mark: お先に失礼します。 |
| Alisha: His boss responded casually, and said… |
| Yoshi: お疲れ様 |
| Alisha: This might be obvious because Mark is subordinate to his boss. |
| Alisha: But when Mark meets anybody whose career at the company is longer than his, the same thing would happen. Mark would politely greet his |
| Risa: 先輩 |
| Alisha: and that person would respond to Mark casually. Let’s take a look at the next phrase. |
| Risa: お先に失礼します。 |
| Alisha: The general meaning is "I'm sorry for leaving before you." |
| Alisha: Can you understand why Japanese people use an apologetic expression when they leave earlier than other workers? |
| Alisha: In traditional Japanese corporate culture, working overtime is very common. |
| Alisha: It's also considered bad form to leave the office while your co-workers are still working. That's why the expression... |
| Risa: お先に失礼します。 |
| Alisha: ...is used when you leave the office as an implied apology for leaving earlier than the people still there. |
| Alisha: The tendency to overwork is still a large part of Japanese culture, but it should be noted that younger generations are less and less likely to do so. |
| Practice |
| Risa: Now it's time to practice your new ability. |
| Alisha: You work for a Japanese company and are about to leave the office. Ready? Here we go. |
| Alisha: Your co-worker is leaving the office and he tells you goodbye. How should you respond? |
| Risa: お疲れ様でした。 |
| Alisha: Now you've finished your work and are about to leave the office. What should you say to those who are still working? |
| Risa: お先に失礼します。 |
| Alisha: Great job! |
| Risa: お疲れ様でした。 |
| Risa: お先に失礼します。 |
Outro |
| Risa: よくできました！ Now, watch the scene one more time. After that, you're ready to work in a Japanese company! Good luck! じゃまたね！ |
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