In this video, Tomoe teaches you how to introduce yourself in Japanese.

Transcript:
こんにちはともえです。これから六ヶ月間一緒に日本語を勉強して行きましょう。頑張ろう！こんにちは。今日は自己紹介の仕方を勉強します。初めまして、ともえです。よろしくお願いします。

Hello, I’m Tomoe and over the next 6 months let’s study Japanese together. You can do it! So today we’re going to study how to introduce yourself in Japanese.

Hajimemashite means “nice to meet you”.

Tomoe desu means “I am Tomoe”.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu means something like “please be kind to me” or “nice to meet you”.

We usually use it at the end of a self introduction.

Grammar note:

A more formal way to introduce yourself would be:

はじめまして、アレックスと申します。どうぞよろしくお願いします。

Hajimemashite, Alex desu. Dōzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Nice to meet you, I’m Alex. (Nice to meet you)

So what does all that mean? Firstly, はじめまして hajimemashite comes from the verb hajimeru or to begin and in this context it means “Nice to meet you” when meeting someone for the first time.

Next, アレックスと申します Alex to mōshimasu means I am Alex although this uses the polite form 申す mōsu which means to be called.

Finally we have どうぞよろしくお願いします Dōzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu literally means “please treat me well” or “I count on your good favor” but in this context it is just put at the end of the introduction and has the same meaning as “nice to meet you”.

Dōzo at the beginning makes it more polite.

Finally, if you want a more casual version you could say:

アレックスです。よろしく。

Alex desu. Yoroshiku.

I’m Alex, nice to meet you.

This would be used in a casual encounter between younger people of similar social standing.

More Japanese language learning videos

	Learn Japanese Pod Video 1: How to introduce yourself in Japanese | In this video, we learn some basic useful greetings in Japanese.
	Learn Japanese Pod Video 2: Useful daily phrases you use a lot in Japanese | In this lesson, you will learn some must-know daily phrases in Japanese
	Learn Japanese Pod Video 3: Phrases for leaving your house – itte kimasu  | “Itte-kimasu” is perhaps one of the most used phrases in Japanese and you should definitely learn it! Check out the video to see what it means.
	Learn Japanese Pod Video 4: Phrases for when you get home – Tadaima – Okaeri nasai | In this video you will learn some great phrases used everyday in Japan when returning home
	Learn Japanese Pod Video 5: How to apologize in Japanese | As they say in Japan, if it’s your fault, apologize, and if it isn’t, apologize. Check out how to apologize in Japanese.
	Learn Japanese Pod Video 6: Useful Japanese phrases for restaurants in Japan 1 | In this video you’ll learn how to get seats on your arrival at a restaurant
	Learn Japanese Pod Video 7: Useful Japanese phrases for restaurants in Japan 2 | In this video you’ll learn how to order drinks in Japanese at a restaurant after being shown to your table

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