Introductions

In this lesson you will learn how to find out if a person is the one you have in mind, state your name and where you work, introduce yourself and your spouse after being introduced to a Japanese person, confirm the name of a person to whom you are introduced, and cope with a compliment like “You speak Japanese well!” — even if you only know a few sentences.

Dialogues (会話)

Situation 1 — Are you Ms. Suzuki?

Mr. Brown is in his office at the Embassy expecting Ms. Suzuki, whom he has never met. He sees a Japanese woman looking for someone.

Romaji	English
Buraun: Shitsurei desu ga, Suzuki-san desu ka?	Excuse me, are you Ms. Suzuki?
Suzuki: Hai, soo desu.	Yes, I am.
Buraun: Hajimemashite. Buraun desu.	How do you do? My name is Brown.
Suzuki: Hajimemashite. Doozo yoroshiku.	How do you do? Pleased to meet you.

Situation 2 — Introducing a secretary

Ms. O’Neil is Mr. Black’s secretary at the American Embassy. Mr. Black is meeting with Mr. Kobayashi.

Romaji	English
Burakku: Kobayashi-san, kore wa hisho no Oniiru desu.	Mr. Kobayashi, this is my secretary, Ms. O’Neil.
Oniiru: Kobayashi-san desu ne. Hajimemashite. Oniiru desu. Doozo yoroshiku.	Mr. Kobayashi, right? How do you do? My name is O’Neil. Pleased to meet you.
Kobayashi: Kobayashi desu. Doozo yoroshiku.	My name is Kobayashi. Pleased to meet you.

Situation 3 — Exchanging business cards at a party

Mr. Williams is an American businessman who has been in Japan for five years. He is at a party with Mr. Sato of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. He sees Mr. Porter, who works at the American Consulate.

Romaji	English
Uiriamusu: Pootaa-san, kochira wa Tsuusanshoo no Satoo-san desu.	Mr. Porter, this is Mr. Sato of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.
Pootaa: Hajimemashite. Amerika Taishikan no Pootaa desu. Kore wa meeshi desu.	How do you do? My name is Porter, from the American Embassy. This is my calling card.
Satoo: Hajimemashite. Satoo desu. (handing his calling card) Doozo yoroshiku.	How do you do? My name is Sato. Pleased to meet you.

Situation 4 — Introducing a married couple

Mr. and Mrs. Kelly are at a reception. They are introduced to Mr. Ogawa by Mr. Taylor.

Romaji	English
Taylor: (in English) Mr. Ogawa, this is Mr. Kelly. Mr. Kelly, this is Mr. Ogawa.
Ogawa: (in English) How do you do? Pleased to meet you.
Kerii: Kerii desu. Hajimemashite. Kore wa kanai desu.	My name is Kelly. How do you do? This is my wife.
Kerii (okusan): Hajimemashite. Doozo yoroshiku.	How do you do? Pleased to meet you.
Ogawa: Nihongo ga o-joozu desu ne.	You speak Japanese very well.
Kerii (okusan): Iie, mada mada desu.	Oh no. We’re still beginners.

Key Vocabulary (語彙)

Romaji	Kana	English
shitsurei desu ga	しつれいですが	excuse me, but…
hajimemashite	はじめまして	how do you do? (lit., “it’s the first time”)
hisho	ひしょ	secretary
ne	ね	isn’t it? (asks for confirmation)
doozo yoroshiku	どうぞよろしく	pleased to meet you (lit., “I ask your favor”)
kochira	こちら	this (person/thing) — polite
Tsuusanshoo	つうさんしょう	Ministry of International Trade and Industry
meeshi	めいし	name card, calling card, business card
kanai	かない	(one’s own) wife
(o-)joozu	(お)じょうず	skillful, good
mada mada	まだまだ	not yet, still (a long way to go)
taishikan	たいしかん	embassy
ryoojikan	りょうじかん	consulate
Kokumushoo	こくむしょう	State Department
Amerikan Sentaa	アメリカンセンター	American Center
shujin	しゅじん	(one’s own) husband
goshujin	ごしゅじん	(someone else’s) husband
okusan	おくさん	(someone else’s) wife

Days of the week

Romaji	Kana	English
getsu-yoobi	げつようび	Monday
ka-yoobi	かようび	Tuesday
sui-yoobi	すいようび	Wednesday
moku-yoobi	もくようび	Thursday
kin-yoobi	きんようび	Friday
do-yoobi	どようび	Saturday
nichi-yoobi	にちようび	Sunday
nan-yoobi	なんようび	what day (of the week)?

Grammar & Usage Notes

Introduction expressions

Two key expressions are used when meeting someone for the first time:

• Hajimemashite. — “How do you do?” (Literally, “It’s the first time [for me to meet you].”)
• Doozo yoroshiku. — “Pleased to meet you.” (Literally, “I ask your favor/good treatment.”)

These can be used just like their English counterparts.

The particle no — linking nouns

The particle no between two nouns indicates that the first noun describes the second:

• Amerika Taishikan no Sumisu — “Smith of the American Embassy” (workplace + name)
• watakushi no hon — “my book” (possessor + belonging)

The confirmation particle ne

The particle ne at the end of a sentence functions like English “aren’t you?” or “isn’t it?” Use it to confirm information:

• Yamada-san desu ne? — “You’re Mr. Yamada, aren’t you?”

Unlike English, where the confirmation tag varies (“aren’t you?”, “isn’t he?”, “don’t they?”), Japanese always uses ne regardless of the preceding sentence.

Kore vs. kochira — in-group vs. out-group

Both kore and kochira can mean “this” when introducing people, but they reflect an important social distinction:

• kore — used to introduce an in-group member (your family, your colleague)
• kochira — used to introduce an out-group member (politer; someone from another company, etc.)

This reflects a broader pattern in Japanese: politer expressions are used for out-group members.

Kinship terms — in-group vs. out-group

Relationship	My family (in-group)	Someone else’s family (out-group)
husband	shujin	goshujin
wife	kanai	okusan

When introducing your own spouse, never add san to their name — that would be showing respect to your own in-group member, which is inappropriate.

Practice Exercises (練習)

Substitution drill — Introduction

Practice with the pattern: Kochira wa [workplace] no [name]-san desu.

Workplace	Name
Amerika Taishikan	Howaito-san
Amerika Ryoojikan	Buraun-san
Kokumushoo	Kerii-san
Amerikan Sentaa	Sumisu-san

Introduction practice

Student A introduces the instructor to Student B:

Role	Romaji
Student A:	Kochira wa [workplace] no [name]-san desu.
Student B:	[Name]-san desu ne. Hajimemashite. [Own name] desu. Doozo yoroshiku.
Instructor:	Hajimemashite. Doozo yoroshiku.

Introducing a spouse

Practice introducing your husband or wife:

Situation	Romaji
Introducing someone’s wife:	Kochira wa Buraun-san no okusan desu.
The wife introduces herself:	Buraun no kanai desu. Doozo yoroshiku.
Introducing someone’s husband:	Kochira wa Hoomuzu-san no goshujin desu.
The husband introduces himself:	Hoomuzu desu. Doozo yoroshiku.

Introducing a married couple

Student A introduces the couple to the instructor. The husband introduces himself and then his wife:

Role	Romaji
Student A:	Kochira wa [name]-san desu.
Husband:	[Name] desu. Hajimemashite. Kore wa kanai desu.
Wife:	Hajimemashite. Doozo yoroshiku.

Cultural Notes

• Responding to “You speak Japanese well” — Japanese people frequently say Nihongo ga o-joozu desu ne (“You speak Japanese very well”) to foreigners, even beginners. This is a form of politeness and a conversation starter, not meant literally. A good response is Iie, mada mada desu (“Oh no, I still have a long way to go”).
• Business cards (meeshi) are essential in Japanese business culture. At the beginning of a business encounter, Japanese people almost always exchange meeshi. The card provides key information — company name, position, personal name, and contact details — that helps people evaluate social position. When exchanging meeshi, Japanese typically bow and make a few remarks about the other person’s job or institution. You can say Kore wa meeshi desu (“This is my calling card”) when presenting yours.
• The Japanese social hierarchy — Japanese view nearly all relationships as hierarchical. They adjust verbal and nonverbal behavior according to a person’s social position. The meeshi provides the information needed to navigate this hierarchy.