How to Say ‘Nice to meet you.’ in Japanese
はじめまして。
hajime mashi te
[hah-jee-meh mah-shee teh]
Phrase Breakdown
はじめ
hajime
[hah-jee-meh]
first time; for the first time (meeting)
From 「はじめて」 (for the first time). In greetings, it helps form 「はじめまして」 meaning “Nice to meet you.”
はじめまして。はじめて会いますね。
Nice to meet you. It's our first time meeting, isn't it?
まし
mashi
[mah-shee]
(polite ending part of the greeting)
Part of the polite greeting 「はじめまして」. By itself it isn’t usually used as a standalone word; it contributes to the fixed phrase.
はじめまして、と言うときに「まし」も入ります。
When you say 'Hajimemashite,' it also includes 'mashi.'
て
te
[teh]
(polite form ending; 'te' sound)
The 「て」 here is the final sound in 「はじめまして」. Alone it’s a common hiragana and also appears as the て-form ending in verbs, but here it’s part of the set greeting.
はじめまして、の最後は「て」です。
The last part of 'Hajimemashite' is 'te.'
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