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 standard first-meeting phrase. It often pairs with [よろしくお願いします] right after.
🇯🇵 In Japan: A small bow is common when saying [はじめまして], especially in introductions at work or school.
Phrase Breakdown
はじめ
hajime
[hah-jee-meh]
beginning; first time; for the first time
From はじめる (to begin). In greetings, はじめまして is a set phrase meaning “Nice to meet you,” literally “(This is) the first time (we meet).”
はじめまして、田中です。
Nice to meet you, I'm Tanaka.
まし
mashi
[mah-shee]
polite (verb stem); part of a polite expression
A piece of the polite form 〜ます/〜ました. In はじめまして, it’s part of the fixed polite greeting.
はじめまして、山田と申します。
Nice to meet you, I'm Yamada (humble).
て
te
[teh]
and; (quoting particle); in this phrase, part of a set expression
て is often the “and/then” connector or a verb te-form ending. Here it’s simply the final part of the fixed greeting はじめまして.
はじめまして、よろしくお願いします。
Nice to meet you. Please treat me well.
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