How to Say ‘Nice to meet you.’ in Japanese
よろしくお願いします。
yoroshiku o negai shi masu
[yoh-roh-shee-koo oh neh-gah-ee shee mah-soo]
💬 Usage Tip: In business, [よろしくお願いします] can mean “Nice to meet you,” “Thank you in advance,” or “I’m counting on you,” depending on context.
🇯🇵 In Japan: Often said with a bow at the start and end of an interview. Ending with it is common too.
Phrase Breakdown
よろしく
yoroshiku
[yoh-roh-shee-koo]
Kindly / Best regards (in a set phrase)
With お願いします, it becomes a very common interview closing/opening: “Thank you / I appreciate your consideration.”
自己紹介のあとによろしくお願いしますと言います。
After my self-introduction, I say “yoroshiku onegaishimasu.”
お願いします
o negai shi masu
please; I request (it)
Polite form of お願いする. Used to make requests and in greetings (よろしくお願いします).
手伝ってお願いします。
Please help me.
Words in this phrase
お
o
[oh]
(honorific prefix)
お is added for politeness; essential in business settings in many fixed expressions.
よろしくお願いしますのおを落とさずに言います。
I say the “o” in “yoroshiku onegaishimasu” without dropping it.
願い
negai
[neh-gah-ee]
Request / favor
願い forms the meaning of “request.” In this set phrase, it expresses polite goodwill toward the listener.
面接では願いの気持ちをこめてよろしくお願いしますと言います。
In interviews, I say “yoroshiku onegaishimasu” with a feeling of goodwill/request.
し
shi
[shee]
Do (part of verb)
し is the verb stem; together with ます it makes a polite request form.
よろしくお願いしますと言うときはしまで一息で言います。
When saying “yoroshiku onegaishimasu,” I say up to “shi” smoothly in one breath.
ます
masu
[mah-soo]
(polite ending)
ます signals polite/formal speech appropriate for interviews.
面接ではますをはっきり言って丁寧さを出します。
In interviews, I pronounce “-masu” clearly to sound polite.
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