How to Say ‘Nice to meet you.’ in Japanese
はじめまして。
hajime mashi te
[hah-jee-meh mah-shee teh]
💬 Usage Tip: [はじめまして] is the classic first-meeting phrase. It literally comes from the idea of "for the first time," so use it only when meeting someone new.
🇯🇵 In Japan: In Japan, this is a standard opener in self-introductions. A small bow while saying [はじめまして] feels natural and polite.
Phrase Breakdown
はじめ
hajime
[hah-jee-meh]
beginning; first time
This part comes from a word related to beginning or meeting for the first time. In はじめまして, it helps express Nice to meet you.
はじめはあいさつがだいじです。
At the beginning, greetings are important.
まし
mashi
[mah-shee]
polite verb part
This is part of the polite expression まして. Here it helps make the greeting formal and polite.
ましはこのことばのいちぶです。
まし is one part of this word.
て
te
[teh]
and; te-form ending
This is the て ending. In はじめまして, it is part of a fixed greeting expression.
てはぶんのさいごによくでます。
て often appears at the end of a phrase.
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