You may have your basic self-introduction in Japanese down, but are you ready to take things to another level? Here are a few tips to giving the kind of formal introductory speech that you’ll use with your coworkers in more “buttoned-up” situations. We’ll give you the phrases first in Japanese, then in romaji, and finally in English, followed by a bit of an explanation.

はじめまして、Aと申します。
Hajimemashite, A to moushi masu.
Nice to meet you, my name is A.

The heart of the word “hajimemashite” means “begin,” and it’s the start of almost every introduction you’ll ever read.

今日からABCセクションに配属されました。
Kyou kara ABC Section ni haizoku saremashita.
Starting from today, I have been assigned to the ABC Section.

Haizoku means assignment. With the verb saremashita, the phrase becomes passive and takes on the meaning “was assigned to.”

わからないことばかりですが
Wakaranai koto bakari desu ga…
Although there are lots of things I don’t know yet…

Wakaranai = don’t know
Koto = things
Bakari = everything or all of the things
Desu = is
Ga = though, but

一生懸命がんばりますので
Isshoukenmei ganbarimasu node.
So, I will do my best.

Isshoukenmei literally means “I will do this thing with all my heart and all my life.” It sounds a little over the top but its basic meaning is “I’ll do my best.”

どうぞよろしくお願いします
Douzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu.

Word for word, this phrase means “please be kind to me,” but think of it more like “I’m looking forward to working with you.” To dial up the politeness level, replace douzo with nanitozo.


Sponsored Post