How to Say ‘Nice to meet you.’ in Japanese
はじめまして。
hajime mashi te
[hah-jee-meh mah-shee teh]
🇯🇵 In Japan: [はじめまして] is the standard first-meeting greeting and is very normal when you've just been introduced. After that first moment, you don't keep using it the way English sometimes reuses "nice to meet you."
Phrase Breakdown
はじめ
hajime
[hah-jee-meh]
beginning; for the first time (as in a first meeting greeting)
From はじめる (to begin). In はじめまして, it’s part of the fixed greeting meaning “Nice to meet you.” Often used when meeting someone new at a club and then swapping contacts.
クラブで会って、はじめまして、とあいさつしました。
We met at the club and greeted each other with “Nice to meet you.”
まし
mashi
[mah-shee]
polite (part of the polite greeting form)
This is part of まし(ます) in polite speech. In はじめまして, it contributes to the polite set phrase used at first meetings.
はじめまして、よろしくおねがいします、と言うとていねいです。
It’s polite to say, “Nice to meet you. Please treat me well.”
て
te
[teh]
and (linking form); indicates a polite ending in set phrases
In はじめまして, て is part of the fixed greeting ending. In general, て-form connects actions (do A and do B).
はじめまして、れんらくさきもこうかんしてね。
Nice to meet you—let’s exchange contact info too.
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