Nice to meet you, my name is Tanuki (for those confused about what is a Tanuki click here)! For this first blog post on Japanese language learning, we’ll be going over how to introduce yourself in Japanese. Even if you don’t have much Japanese knowledge, this basic guide will help you get to know other people and make new friends. 

Stay tuned for a dialogue at the end where I will also be using this guide to introduce myself to my new friend named Kitsune (fox in Japanese). 

First, start with a greeting!

To begin a self introduction, also called a 自己紹介 (Jikoshoukai) in Japanese, it’s polite to start with a greeting. The most fool-proof and common way to start your introduction is by using 初めまして (Hajimemashite).

Unlike other Japanese greetings where the time of day is important, this can be used at any time. In Japanese culture, it’s common to bow your head slightly to greet the other person. Feel free to try this out to show more politeness!

初めまして! 

Hajimemashite!

Nice to meet you!

Introducing your name

The next thing you’ll want to do is to introduce your name. Keep in mind that in situations where you will say your full name, you must say it in the order of last name then first name. If you have a middle name, it’s best to omit it or add it to your first name. Japanese people don’t have middle names so there are no conventions on where to place it.

Here are some ways you can say your name: 

__________です。-  ___________ desu. – My name is  __________.  

This is a phrase you can use for both polite and casual situations. As an example, Tanuki’s full name is Tanuki (first name) Morita (last name). This is how it would look like in this phrase.

Ex.

森田タヌキです。
Morita Tanuki desu.
My name is Tanuki Morita.

__________と申します。- __________ to moushimasu. – My name is __________.

This is the most polite way to introduce your name. Here is an example using Tanuki’s name:

Ex.

森田タヌキと申します。
Morita tanuki to moushimasu.
My name is Tanuki Morita.

__________と呼んでください。- __________to yonde kudasai – Please call me __________.

After stating your full name, you can tell the other person how you want to be called. If you have a nickname or preference on being called by first name, make sure to use this phrase. 

Ex.

タヌキと呼んで下さい。
Tanuki to yonde kudasai.
Please call me Tanuki.

Describe yourself

When you introduce yourself in Japanese, you might want to add some details that describe you. Here are some ways to add some personal details that might help the other person start to get to know you. 

__________です。- __________ desu – I am __________.

This phrase can be used to say your name, but it is also useful with describing other details about yourself like nationality, occupation, and age.

• Nationality

To add your nationality, you can put the name of the country with the word 人 (jin). For example, you could could fill in the blank with アメリカ人 (amerikajin – American), 日本人 (nihonjin – Japanese), フランス人 (furansujin  – French) etc…  Just make sure to look up your country’s name in Japanese, and it will be easy to say your nationality!

Ex.

イギリス人です。
Igirisujin desu.
I am English.

• Occupation

You can also describe your job or occupation using this same phrase. Some useful occupation vocabulary might be 先生(sensei – teacher), 大学生 (daigakusei – college student),　学生 (gakusei -student), 弁護士 (bengoshi – lawyer), 医師 (ishi – doctor), スポーツ選手 (supootsu senshu – athlete) etc…

Ex.

スポーツ選手です。
Supootsu senshi desu.
I’m an athlete.

• Age

It’s also possible to say your age using this phrase. However, note that it’s not so common to discuss age at first meeting unless you’re still in your teens or early twenties. To make this phrase, put the number with 歳(sai). 

Ex. 

二十一歳です。
Nijuu issai desu.
I’m twenty one.

趣味は__________です。- Shumi wa__________desu. – My hobby is __________.

Try out this phrase to share your hobbies. Maybe the other person also likes the same hobbies! Simply insert any word that could be a hobby into the blank.

Ex. 

趣味は水泳です。
Shumi wa suiei desu.
My hobby is swimming. 

__________に住んでいます。- __________ni sunde imasu. – I live in __________.

You can also add where you’re living. You can add the city or country where you currently reside.

Ex.

東京に住んでいます。
Tokyo ni sunde imasu.
I live in Tokyo.

私の出身は__________です。-  watashi no shusshin wa __________desu. – I’m from __________. 

This is another way where you can describe your nationality or where you come from. In this case all you need to do is add the country or city to the blank.

Ex. 

私の出身はパリです。
Watashi no shusshin wa pari desu.
I’m from Paris.

How to finish the introduction

To finish the self introduction, it’s a tradition to use the phrase よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu). This is difficult to translate to English but it literally means “please take care of me in the future”. It works as something like “pleased to meet you”. When you respond to someone else saying this phrase, you want to add こちらこそ (kochira koso) which means “me too”. 

よろしくお願いします。(polite form)
Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
Pleased to meet you.

こちらこそ、よろしくお願いします。(polite form)
Kochirakoso yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
Pleased to meet you too.

よろしく！(informal form)
Yoroshiku!
Pleased to meet you!

こちらこそ、よろしく！(informal)
Kochirakoso, yoroshiku!
Pleased to meet you too!

Useful questions to get to know someone!

After the initial self introductions, you may want to ask the other person some more questions. Here are some useful questions that you could ask or that someone may ask you. Be careful when asking about age if the other person is older than you as it could be considered rude. 

お名前は何ですか？
Onamae wa nan desu ka?
What’s your name?

出身はどこですか？
Shusshin wa doko desuka?
Where are you from?

趣味は何ですか？
Shumi wa nan desu ka?
What’s your hobby?

何歳ですか？
Nansai desu ka?
How old are you?

ご職業は何ですか？
Goshokugyou wa nandesuka?
What’s your occupation?

どこに住んでいますか？
Doko ni sunde imasu ka?
Where are you living?

Practice Dialogue: Tanuki meets a new friend called Kitsune

Tanuki will now use this guide to practice to practice self introductions! She just met a potential friend, Kitsune, at a party.

Tanuki: 

初めまして！- Hajimemashite! – Nice to meet you!

森田タヌキです。- Morita Tanuki desu – My name is Tanuki Morita

タヌキと呼んで下さい – Tanuki to yonde kudasai – Please call me Tanuki.

趣味は料理です！- Shumi wa ryouri desu. – My hobby is cooking.

よろしくお願いします！- Yoroshiku onegaishimasu – Pleased to meet you!

Kitsune: 

タヌキさん、初めまして！- Tanuki san hajimemashite! – Nice to meet you, Tanuki!

山田キツネです。- Yamada Kitsune desu – My name is Kitsune Yamada.

キツネと呼んで下さい。- Kitsune to yonde kudasai – Please call me Kitsune.

私の趣味も料理です！- Watashi no shumi mo ryouri desu. – My hobby is also cooking!

こちらこそ、よろしくお願いします！- Kochirakoso yoroshiku onegaishimasu – Pleased to meet you too! 

I hope that this guide helped you learn how to introduce yourself in Japanese! Feel free to send me comments or questions.

~Tanuki