はじめまして
hajimemashite
'pleased to meet you' in Japanese is はじめまして (hajimemashite).
はじめまして is the most common way to say 'pleased to meet you' in Japanese. It is used exclusively during the very first encounter with someone and is not used when meeting someone again.
Which one should you use?
While はじめまして is the standard, you can use お会いできて光栄です for a more formal expression of being pleased to meet someone. In informal settings among peers, you might use よろしく to mean 'Nice to meet you'.
How does it change in a sentence?
はじめまして is a fixed formulaic expression. It does not change based on the gender or number of the people being addressed.
How do you pronounce it?
hajimemashite
When do people say it?
A more complete and standard way to introduce oneself is to say はじめまして、よろしくおねがいします (hajimemashite, yoroshiku onegaishimasu) (please treat me well).
Did you know?
- The verb inside はじめまして is 'hajimeru', which means 'to begin'. By saying this, you are literally communicating that this is the 'beginning' of your relationship with the person.
- While English speakers often make eye contact when saying 'pleased to meet you', in Japan, prolonged eye contact during this introduction can be perceived as aggressive or disrespectful.
- In business settings, はじめまして is often followed by the exchange of 名刺 (meishi), or business cards, which are presented and received with both hands.
Examples in context
- 初めまして、私は田中です。Nice to meet you, my name is Tanaka.
- お会いできて光栄です。田中と申します。I am honored to meet you. My name is Tanaka.
- こちらこそ、お会いできて光栄です。鈴木と申します。Likewise, I am honored to meet you. My name is Suzuki.
- はじめまして、田中です。Hajimemashite, Tanaka desu.Pleased to meet you, I am Tanaka.
- はじめまして、よろしくお願いします。Hajimemashite, yoroshiku onegaishimasu.Pleased to meet you, I look forward to working with you.
- はじめまして、お会いできて光栄です。Hajimemashite, oai dekite kouei desu.Pleased to meet you, it is an honor to meet you.
Example conversation
Two students meeting for the first time at university.
- 陽太 Yotaはじめまして。陽太です。Hajimemashite. Youta desu.Pleased to meet you. I'm Youta.
- 陽葵 Himariはじめまして。陽葵です。Hajimemashite. Himari desu.Pleased to meet you. I'm Himari.
- 陽太 Yotaよろしくお願いします。Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.I'm glad to be acquainted with you.
- 陽葵 Himariこちらこそ、よろしくお願いします。Kochira koso, yoroshiku onegaishimasu.Likewise, pleased to meet you.
