Introducing yourself in Japanese: hajimemashite and complete vocabulary

Introducing yourself in Japanese, or 自己紹介 (jikoshoukai), follows a fairly fixed structure: an opening phrase, your name, where you’re from, sometimes your job or a reason for learning, then a closing phrase. This structure remains stable, but the level of politeness you choose at each step changes depending on the context: among friends, at school, at work, or during a job interview.

Opening the introduction with hajimemashite

Even before saying はじめまして, a greeting suited to the time of day naturally opens the exchange: おはようございます (ohayou gozaimasu) in the morning, こんにちは (konnichiwa) during the day, こんばんは (konbanwa) in the evening. はじめまして (hajimemashite) then marks the start of an introduction when meeting someone for the first time. The word comes from the verb 始める (hajimeru, “to begin”) and its closest equivalent is “nice to meet you”. It is always accompanied by a slight bow of the upper body; physical contact like a handshake is best avoided during an initial encounter in Japan.

Giving your name

Several forms exist depending on the level of politeness you want, from casual to highly formal.

Japanese	Romaji	Register
[name]です	[name] desu	casual, the most common
私の名前は[name]です	watashi no namae wa [name] desu	casual, with an explicit subject
[name]と言います	[name] to iimasu	polite
[name]と申します	[name] to moushimasu	formal, humble

The subject 私は (watashi wa) is often omitted, as the context makes adding it redundant. Japanese people generally give their family name first, followed by their given name if necessary; in a casual setting, just the given name is enough. The most important rule to remember: never add an honorific suffix (さん san, 様 sama, くん kun, etc.) to your own name, as doing so is seen as pretentious or even arrogant.

Where are you from?

Being a foreigner in Japan almost always arouses curiosity, and people will often ask ご出身はどちらですか (go-shusshin wa dochira desu ka), “where are you from?”. There are several ways to answer, from naming the country down to the specific city.

Japanese	Romaji	Translation
フランスから来ました	Furansu kara kimashita	I come from France.
イギリス（のロンドン）から来ました	Igirisu (no Rondon) kara kimashita	I come from London, England.
パリ出身です	Pari shusshin desu	I am from Paris (origin).
フランス人です	Furansujin desu	I am French.

出身 (shusshin) emphasises the place of origin rather than the mere act of coming from somewhere, a useful nuance when you want to specify a city or region rather than a whole country. For Americans, adding the state with 州 (shuu) completes the information: アメリカのカリフォルニア州から来ました (Amerika no Kariforunia-shuu kara kimashita), “I come from California, in the United States”.

Why learn Japanese?

Explaining your motivation for learning the language often pleases your Japanese conversation partner and naturally enriches the introduction.

Japanese	Romaji	Translation
日本の文化に興味があって、日本語を勉強しています。	Nihon no bunka ni kyoumi ga atte, nihongo wo benkyou shite imasu.	I’m interested in Japanese culture, so I’m studying Japanese.
字幕なしでアニメを見たいから、日本語を勉強しています。	Jimaku nashi de anime wo mitai kara, nihongo wo benkyou shite imasu.	I’m studying Japanese so I can watch anime without subtitles.

Why are you in Japan?

If you are travelling or moving there, stating the reason for your stay makes the conversation more concrete.

Japanese	Romaji	Translation
日本語を勉強するために日本に来ました。	Nihongo wo benkyou suru tame ni Nihon ni kimashita.	I came to Japan to study Japanese.
日本で働きたいから、日本に来ました。	Nihon de hatarakitai kara, Nihon ni kimashita.	I came to Japan because I want to work here.
旅行で来ました。	Ryokou de kimashita.	I came to travel.
新婚旅行で来ました。	Shinkon ryokou de kimashita.	I came on my honeymoon.

Talking about what you do

Mentioning your occupation, whether professional or academic, fits naturally into a more detailed introduction.

Japanese	Romaji	Translation
大学生です。	Daigakusei desu.	I am a university student.
大学で勉強しています。	Daigaku de benkyou shite imasu.	I study at university.
エンジニアです。	Enjinia desu.	I am an engineer.
英語の先生です。	Eigo no sensei desu.	I am an English teacher.
外資系の会社で働いています。	Gaishikei no kaisha de hataraite imasu.	I work for an international company.

Talking about your hobbies

In a friendly or casual context, adding one or two passions personalises the introduction without making it too heavy.

Japanese	Romaji	Translation
料理が好きです。	Ryouri ga suki desu.	I like cooking.
映画を見るのが好きです。	Eiga wo miru no ga suki desu.	I like watching films.

Closing with yoroshiku onegaishimasu

よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) almost always concludes an introduction. The expression has no direct equivalent in English: it invites the goodwill of the other person for the relationship to come, a bit like “I look forward to working with you” or “pleased to meet you”.

Japanese	Romaji	Register
よろしく！	yoroshiku	very casual
よろしくお願いします	yoroshiku onegaishimasu	neutral, the most common
どうぞよろしくお願いします	douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu	polite, complete
今後もどうぞよろしくお願い致します	kongo mo douzo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu	very formal, professional
こちらこそよろしくお願いします	kochira koso yoroshiku onegaishimasu	in response, “likewise”

When the other person has said this phrase first, it is appropriate to reply with こちらこそ (kochira koso) rather than simply repeating the same sentence, to show that the politeness is mutual.

Non-verbal etiquette

Introducing yourself in Japan involves codes that go beyond vocabulary alone. During a formal introduction, handshakes give way to a bow, with the upper body inclined and arms kept at your sides, never crossed. Prolonged eye contact, valued in many cultures, is on the contrary seen as less polite in Japan, especially towards someone of higher social status: a more discreet gaze signals respect rather than discomfort.

In a professional context, exchanging business cards (名刺, meishi) follows a precise ritual:

• The card is prepared in advance, kept in a dedicated card holder.
• It is presented with both hands, text facing the recipient so they can read it directly.
• The received card is also taken with both hands, and you take a moment to observe it carefully before putting it away.
• It is never slipped straight into a back pocket, and it remains visible on the table throughout a meeting.

Example dialogue

Japanese	Translation
A: はじめまして。山田です。	A: Nice to meet you. I’m Yamada.
B: はじめまして。私はソフィーです。フランスから来ました。日本の文化に興味があって、日本語を勉強しています。よろしくお願いします。	B: Nice to meet you. I’m Sophie. I come from France. I’m interested in Japanese culture, so I’m studying Japanese. Pleased to meet you.
A: こちらこそよろしくお願いします。	A: The pleasure is mine.

This basic structure, greet then introduce yourself then thank, suits every situation, whether friendly, academic or professional. You just need to adjust the politeness level and the amount of detail you share (origin, occupation, motivation, hobbies) according to the formality expected. The greetings that often accompany hajimemashite depending on the time of day are covered in detail in the article on hello and goodbye vocabulary in Japanese.

To organise these expressions within a complete grammatical progression, beyond isolated phrases, a Japanese course allows you to tackle step by step the construction of more elaborate sentences and the nuances of politeness that go with them.