Often appears in greetings like [はじめまして]. By itself, [はじめ] means “the beginning.”

You’ll most commonly meet this as part of the set greeting [はじめまして] when meeting someone for the first time.

Set phrase for first meetings. It literally has the nuance of “This is the first time (we meet).” Pronunciation hint: (ha-ji-me-ma-shi-te).

Usually followed by [よろしくお願いします]. A small bow is common in Japan, especially in formal situations.

Often a shortened form of [よろしくお願いします] among friends. It’s like saying “Let’s get along” rather than a literal “nice to meet you.”

In Japan, this “relationship-starter” phrase is used constantly—when meeting, joining a group chat, starting a class, even before asking a favor. Casual [よろしく] fits close relationships; with strangers, go longer/politer.

[お願いします] is a super-flexible “please.” You’ll hear it after requests, orders, introductions, and even as “Yes, that one please.” Common combo: [よろしくお願いします].

Saying [お願いします] sounds cooperative and humble—very Japanese. Customers often say it to staff when ordering, and coworkers say it to smooth teamwork.

Super common set phrase. Meaning depends on context: “Nice to meet you,” “Thanks in advance,” “Please support me.” Pronunciation hint: (yo-ro-shi-ku o-ne-ga-i-shi-ma-su).

Often said with a bow. In emails, it’s a standard closing line to maintain good relationships and smooth teamwork.

[です] is a polite “to be” ending. It makes statements sound neutral/polite. You can attach it to nouns/adjectives (e.g., [学生です], [元気です]).

Using [です] keeps your speech pleasantly polite for most daily situations. Dropping it can sound very casual or abrupt, depending on context.

In Japanese, family name often comes first in formal contexts: [山田 太郎です]. You can also say just one name depending on situation.

In business or official introductions in Japan, surname-first is common. With foreigners, people may switch order—listen and mirror the setting.

Written usually as [お名前]. The [お] adds politeness. In questions: [お名前は？] or [お名前は何ですか。]

In Japan, asking someone’s name is normal early on, but people may first share their own name (and company/school) before asking yours.

[何] is often read [なに], but before [です] it commonly becomes [なん] → [なんですか]. It softens into a polite “What is it?”

Direct “What?” can sound sharp in many languages, but [何ですか] is a standard polite question. For extra softness, people add [えっと] or [すみませんが…].