Question
I’ve just arrived in Japan on a business trip and will be meeting a client for the first time. I want to make a good impression and thank them for taking the time to see me. How do I say “Thank you for meeting with me” in Japanese?
Japango Editor Team
お時間をいただき、ありがとうございます。
Ojikan o itadaki, arigatou gozaimasu.
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me.
When conducting business in Japan, expressing gratitude for someone’s time is crucial to establishing a good relationship. The phrase “Ojikan o itadaki, arigatou gozaimasu” acknowledges the other person’s effort and time commitment. Ojikan means “time”; itadaki is a humble way of saying “to receive”; and arigatou gozaimasu is a polite way of saying “thank you.” Use this phrase at the beginning of your meeting to show appreciation. When the meeting wraps up, thank them again with the ending changed to the past tense:
お時間をいただき、ありがとうございました。
Ojikan o itadaki, arigatou gozaimashita.
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me.
This gozaimashita ending looks back on the time you have already received, and it is the one you will hear at the close of almost every business meeting.
You can also adjust the phrase for different situations. If someone gave you a tour of their company, you can swap “ojikan o” for “goannai” (ご案内), which means “showing you around”:
ご案内いただき、ありがとうございました。
Goannai itadaki, arigatou gozaimashita.
Thank you for showing me around.