Question
I joined a Japanese company a few months back but have only recently gone back to the office with the easing of the regulations. There are many colleagues that I have not met in person.
My boss wanted everyone to do a short self-introduction at the start of the weekly meeting. I thought it would be good to do a self-introduction in Japanese but I don’t know any Japanese.
How do I say “How do you do” in Japanese?
Answer by Professional Japanese Teacher
はじめまして
Hajimemashite
How do you do?
When meeting someone for the first time, Japanese people usually say “はじめまして hajimemashite”. This phrase literally means “I’m meeting you for the first time”.
It is equivalent to “How do you do?” in English. You can say your name after that, for example, “(your name) です (your name) desu”.
If you want to be very polite, you can also say “(your name) と申（もう）します (your name) to mooshimasu (I’m called ~)”. To end the self-introduction, we would usually say “どうぞよろしくお願（ねが）いします doozo yoroshikuonegaishimasu”. This phrase is usually translated as “Nice to meet you”. It literally means “Please take care of me”.
It’s not easy working in-person after working from home for so long. But I’m sure it’s great to meet with your colleagues again. All the best!
