Hi, I am Shingo SATO, a native speaker with more than 10 years of experience teaching Japanese.
In this post, I’ll be discussing how to say “nice to meet you” in Japanese.
In conclusion, if you want to say “nice to meet you” when introducing yourself in Japanese, “はじめまして（hajimemashite）” and “よろしくお願いします（yoroshiku onegai shimasu）” are often used. Please read on for more information.
“Nice to Meet You” Used to Greet People You Meet for the First Time
The literal translation of “nice to meet you” into Japanese is “お会いできてうれしいです（oai dekite ureshii desu）.” The google translate translation is the same.
However, there are two more common ways to greet people you meet for the first time, “はじめまして（hajimemashite）” and “よろしくお願いします（yoroshiku onegai shimasu）” . You can see the difference between these expressions in the table below.
| Rome-ji | Literal Meaning | How to Use | |
|---|---|---|---|
| はじめまして | hajimemashite | for the first time | used at the beginning of self-introduction |
| よろしくお願いします | yoroshiku onegai shimasu | I ask you a favor in a good manner | used at the end of self-introduction |
The most important difference is usage. “はじめまして（hajimemashite）” is used at the beginning of a self-introduction, while”よろしくお願いします（yoroshiku onegai shimasu）is used at the end.
Variations of “よろしくお願いします”
Variations of the phrase “よろしくお願いします” are as follows.
| Rome-ji | Politeness | |
|---|---|---|
| どうぞよろしくお願いいたします | doozo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu | ★★★★★ |
| どうぞよろしくお願いします | doozo yoroshiku onegai shimasu | ★★★★☆ |
| よろしくお願いします | yoroshiku onegai shimasu | ★★★☆☆ |
| よろしく | yoroshiku | ★★☆☆☆ |
Do not use “よろしく（yoroshiku）” in formal situations such as introducing yourself at work. Any of the other three expressions can be used in such situations.
How to Introduce Yourself
Basically, when introducing yourself, you can start with “はじめまして（hajimemashite）” , say your name, etc., and end with “よろしくお願いします（yoroshiku onegai shimasu）”
Here are two examples.
Example
はじめまして。ブディです。インドネシアから来ました。よろしくお願いします。
Hajimemashite. Budi desu. Indoneshia kara kimashita. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
Hello, I’m Budi. I’m from Indonesia. Nice to meet you.
Example
はじめまして、チンタと申します。
Hajimemashite. Chinta to mooshimasu.
Hello, I’m Cinta.
「チンタ」は「愛」という意味です。
“Chinta” wa “ai” to iu imi desu.
“Cinta” means “love”.
インドネシアのプカンバルという町から来ました。
Indoneshia no Pukanbaru to iu machi kara kimashita.
I came from a city called Pekanbaru in Indonesia.
インドネシアでは、レストランで働いていました。
Indoneshia de wa, resutoran de hataraite imashita.
I used to work at a restaurant in Indonesia.
先週、日本に来たばかりです。
Senshuu, Nihon ni kita bakar idesu.
I just came to Japan last week.
どうぞよろしくお願いします。
Doozo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
It’s nice to meet you.
You will notice that both self-introductions begin with “はじめまして（hajimemashite）” and end with “よろしくお願いします（yoroshiku onegai shimasu）”. Regardless of the specifics of the self-introduction, the beginning and ending are the same.
You can read the following post for more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions about “Nice to Meet You” in Japanese
Here are frequently asked questions about “Nice to Meet You” in Japanese.
What does “はじめまして（hajimemashite）” literally mean?
It literally means “for the first time”, like “はじめて（hajimete）”.
What does “よろしくお願いします（yoroshiku onegai shimasu）” literally mean?
It literally means “I ask you a favor in a good manner”. “よろしく” means “in a good manner” and “お願いします（onegai shimasu）” means “ask a favor”.
How do you reply to “よろしくお願いします（yoroshiku onegai shimasu）” in someone’s self-introduction?
You can say “こちらこそよろしくお願いします（kochira koso yoroshiku onegai shimasu）”. It is like “Me, too.”
“こちら（kochira）” means “my side”, and “こそ（koso）” emphasizes “こちら（kochira）”.
Conclusion
In this post, I’ve discussed how to say “nice to meet you” in Japanese. In conclusion, if you want to say “nice to meet you” when introducing yourself in Japanese, “はじめまして（hajimemashite）” and “よろしくお願いします（yoroshiku onegai shimasu）” are often used. Basically, when introducing yourself, you can start with “はじめまして（hajimemashite）” , say your name, etc., and end with “よろしくお願いします（yoroshiku onegai shimasu）” Regardless of the specifics of the self-introduction, the beginning and ending are the same. I hope this post will help you understand how to say “nice to meet you” in Japanese.
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