よろしくお願いします
yoroshiku onegai shimasu
The English phrase 'kind regards' can be translated into Japanese as よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu).
While used as a closing in letters, this phrase is also used when meeting someone for the first time to mean 'please be kind to me'.
Meaning: polite closing of a letter (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word よろしく is the adverbial form of the adjective yoroshii, which means 'good' or 'well'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In formal situations, the term 敬具 is widely used to mean 'sincerely' or 'with regards'. For a more polite version of the default phrase, you can use よろしくお願いいたします, which is preferred in business correspondence with clients or superiors. For a friendly sign-off in emails or messages, you might use よい週末を to mean 'have a good weekend'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Although this phrase occupies the position where an English speaker would use a noun-based closing, it is grammatically a verb phrase.
How do you pronounce it?
yoroshiku onegai shimasu
Did you know?
- The phrase can be used when introducing someone else to a third party, essentially asking the listener to 'be kind' to the person being introduced.
- The phrase can be used at the end of a request to mean 'thank you in advance' for a task you have just asked someone to perform. It serves a dual purpose of closing the message and expressing gratitude for the anticipated help.
- In highly formal contexts, よろしくお願いします is paired with a deep bow, where the angle of the bow communicates the level of gratitude or the weight of the request.
Examples in context
- よろしくお願いします。Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.Kind regards.
Example conversation
Kenta is sending a business email to Misaki.
- 健太 Kenta美咲さん、資料を送ります。Misaki-san, shiryou o okurimasu.Misaki, I am sending the documents.
- 美咲 Misakiありがとうございます、健太さん。Arigatou gozaimasu, Kenta-san.Thank you, Kenta.
- 健太 Kentaご確認よろしくお願いします。Gokaku-nin yoroshiku onegaishimasu.Kind regards (please check them).
- 美咲 Misaki承知いたしました。Shouchi itashimashita.Understood.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry よろしくお願いします, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
