How to Say ‘Nice to meet you.’ in Japanese
はじめまして。
はじめまして。
💬 Usage Tip: [はじめまして] is the go-to first greeting when meeting someone for the first time. It literally comes from “for the first time.”
🇯🇵 In Japan: Often paired with a small bow. Usually followed by something like [よろしくお願いします] (even in casual settings).
Word-by-Word Breakdown
はじめはじめ
[hajime]
beginning; for the first time
From はじめる (to begin). In はじめまして, it helps express “for the first time (meeting you)” in a polite greeting.
はじめまして。わたしはさきです。
Nice to meet you. I’m Saki.
ましまし
[mashi]
polite (part of a set phrase)
Part of the fixed greeting はじめまして. It comes from the polite style, but you normally learn it as one phrase rather than a separate word.
はじめまして。よろしくおねがいします。
Nice to meet you. (Please be kind to me.)
てて
[te]
and; with; doing (te-form marker)
The て-form connector. In はじめまして it’s part of the fixed phrase; elsewhere, て connects actions (e.g., たべて、のみます).
はじめまして。わたしはかいしゃでしごとをしています。
Nice to meet you. I work at a company.
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