How to Say ‘Nice to meet you.’ in Japanese
はじめまして。
hajime mashi te
[ha-JEE-meh mah-shee teh]
🇯🇵 In Japan: Only say this the very first time you meet someone, usually as the opening line before your name. Using it with someone you've met before sounds like you forgot them.
Phrase Breakdown
はじめ
hajime
[ha-JEE-meh]
first time; beginning
Stem of hajimeru 'to begin'; in this greeting it means meeting someone for the first time.
はじめまして、よろしく。
Nice to meet you, please treat me well.
まし
mashi
[mah-shee]
polite verb ending part
Part of polite verb forms used in formal speech.
丁寧に話しまし た。
I spoke politely.
て
te
[teh]
te-form ending
This ending connects actions, like 'cut and...' in instructions.
てをつけると、つぎのどうさにつなげられます。
When you add -te, you can connect it to the next action.
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