Set phrase for first meetings. You can think of it as “This is our first time meeting.” Often said with a small bow.

Common combo: [はじめまして。よろしくお願いします。] In Japan, a light bow + this phrase is a friendly default.

[です] is the polite sentence ender that makes things sound smooth and formal. It’s often pronounced like (dess) in casual speech.

Using [です] is a safe default with strangers, coworkers, and in class—politeness matters a lot in first meetings in Japan.

Natural self-intro pattern: “Name + [です].” Often you can omit [わたしは].

In Japan, people often say family name first in Japanese contexts. If unsure, you can say both clearly and smile + small bow.

This is the casual half of the set phrase [よろしくお願いします]. On its own, [よろしく] feels incomplete unless the situation is very casual.

[よろしくお願いします] is said at the end of introductions, when starting work with someone, or when asking a favor—like “let’s have a good relationship.”

[お願いします] comes from [願う] “to wish/request.” It’s used after a noun to mean “please (do this)” e.g., [これお願いします].

In shops/restaurants, customers often say [お願いします] when ordering or handing something over—polite and very common.

A set phrase meaning “I look forward to working with you / please be kind to me.” Not a literal “please.”

Said when meeting someone, starting a class, joining a group, emailing someone new. Usually with a bow.

[お] is an honorific prefix that makes words polite. The more common kanji form is [お名前].

When meeting someone new, asking [お名前は？] is normal, but adding [なんですか] or [何ですか] makes it more complete/polite.

[なんですか] = [何ですか]. Use it to ask politely: [お名前は何ですか]. Keep the final [か] clear—it marks a question.

Direct questions can feel strong; adding softeners like [すみません] before the question often sounds more natural in Japan.

Add [ですか] to make a polite question: [しゅみは なんですか] = “What is your hobby?”

In friendly settings, you’ll also hear rising intonation without [ですか], but [ですか] is a safe polite default.