Lesson 6 · about 2 minutes
Nice to meet you
hajimemashite · yoroshiku onegai shimasu · yoroshiku
はじめまして・よろしく おねがいします・よろしく
You'll learn the two-line first-meeting set: nice to meet you, and please treat me well.
The words
| Romaji | Japanese | Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| hajimemashite | はじめまして | はじめまして | nice to meet you (first time) | |
| yoroshiku onegai shimasu | よろしく おねがいします | よろしく おねがいします | please treat me well / nice to work with you (polite) | |
| yoroshiku | よろしく | よろしく | shorter casual form |
How they differ
Classic self-intro stack: 1. はじめまして。 2. [name] です。 3. よろしく おねがいします。
はじめまして is for first meetings only. よろしく おねがいします also shows up when you ask a favor or join a team — not only introductions.
Casual: よろしく! / よろしく ね.
Handshake script: first time · please be kind. はじめまして = we begin, よろしく = kindly yours.
One line: はじめまして → よろしく おねがいします.
Next: Leaving and returning home: いってきます / いってらっしゃい / ただいま / おかえり.
See it in a sentence
hajimemashite
はじめまして。
Nice to meet you.
yoroshiku onegai shimasu
よろしく おねがいします。
Please treat me well. (polite)
hajimemashite, adamu desu
はじめまして、アダム です。
Nice to meet you — I'm Adam.
douzo yoroshiku
どうぞ よろしく。
Pleased to meet you. (warm)
yoroshiku!
よろしく!
Cheers / take care of me! (casual)
Watch out
はじめまして = first meeting only — don't reuse every day よろしく おねがいします = intro + favors + teamwork — broader than English "nice to meet you" こんにちは = daytime hello — not a substitute for はじめまして on first intro
Try it
In your next story, find はじめまして or よろしく. Say whether it's a first meeting or a "please take care of this" ask.
Check against the lesson cluster and say it out loud.