Small talk at networking events: What brought you to this event

💬 [こんにちは] is a standard daytime greeting. It’s written with [は] but pronounced (wa): [こんにちは] (kon-nee-chee-wa).

🇯🇵 Often paired with a small bow. Common from late morning to early evening; at night people usually say [こんばんは].

💬 [はじめまして] literally means “for the first time.” It’s often followed by [よろしくお願いします].

🇯🇵 In self-introductions, people typically say [はじめまして] → name → [よろしくお願いします] with a light bow.

💬 [今日] can be read [きょう] (“today”). In set phrases it can also be read [こんにち].

🇯🇵 You’ll see [今日] everywhere in schedules, news, and event posters in Japan.

💬 Particle [は] marks the topic and is pronounced (wa), not (ha). It sets the “as for…” frame.

🇯🇵 Japanese often states the topic first ([Xは…]) and leaves some information implied—very normal in conversation.

💬 [今日は] = [今日] + topic particle [は]. It’s pronounced like (kyō wa).

🇯🇵 [今日は…] is a super common way to start small talk, like “So, today…”

💬 [この] must be followed by a noun: [このイベント]. It’s the “this” in the [こ・そ・あ・ど] series.

🇯🇵 Choosing [この] can sound friendly/engaged, like you’re pointing to something shared in the moment.

💬 [イベント] is a loanword (カタカナ). Many modern topics use カタカナ words like this.

🇯🇵 In Japan, [イベント] can mean anything from a conference to a seasonal mall promotion or local festival activity.

💬 Particle [に] often marks destination/time/target: [イベントに] (to the event), [3時に] (at 3 o’clock).

🇯🇵 When giving directions in Japan, you’ll hear [に] constantly: [駅に行きます] (“go to the station”).

💬 Adding [か] makes it a question in polite speech: [来ましたか]. Rising intonation helps too.

🇯🇵 In more casual speech, people may drop [か] and just use intonation, but [か] is safe and polite.