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Jikoshoukai : Self Introductions in Japanese : Hello everyone, today we are going to be learning how to Introduce yourself in Japanese. This is the perfect lesson for those of you just starting out and looking for a place to start with your Japanese learning or also a great opportunity for you guys who want to review your introductions.

Jikoshoukai : Self Introductions in Japanese

In any case this is really important when it comes to meeting new people, interviews etc. Let’s dive right in and get started with the basics.

Simple Self Introductions in Japanese

Japan’s introductions are much more formal than the standard “hey, how you doing” of the western world. They follow certain patterns and are really a big deal when it comes to first impressions.

Jikoshoukai(自己紹介) – Starting Out

The best way to start is with a simple greeting. This can vary depending on the time of day, so let’s take a look at that.
If you are greeting someone in the morning you can say おはようございます Ohayou Gozaimasu which means, “good morning”.
If it is in the day time you can use こんにちは　Konnichiwa which means, “good day”.
Finally, if you are in the evening you can use こんばんは　Konbanwa, which means, “good evening”.
So as you can see, depending on the time of day these initial greetings can change so make sure to take note of that before starting your greeting.

Talking about you in Japanese

name

• (私は) ◯◯ です。(My name is ◯◯)
• 私の 名前は ◯◯ です。

nationality

• (私は) ◯◯人 です。(I’m from ◯◯)
• ◯◯から 来ました。

occupation

• ◯◯で 働いています。(I’m working for ◯◯)
• ◯◯で 勉強しています。

Self-introduction Japanese Phrases

Another thing to note when it comes to introducing yourself in Japanese are the different levels of formality that can be expressed. If it’s more of an informal, less casual situation you can say:

 Watashi no namae wa Adam desu. (My name is Adam.)

If it’s a more formal meeting such as with an interview or addressing a superior you can use:

Adam:  Adam to moushimasu (My name is Adam)
 

Depending on the formality of the situation you can use either one to introduce yourself in Japanese.

A side note, if you want to introduce yourself with your full name, remember to use your family name first followed by your first name. This is of course opposite the customs of the western world.

It’s Nice to meet you – Jikoshoukai(自己紹介) – Introductions in Japanese

It’s nice to meet you is really something nice to say to make the other party feel welcome. That you want to talk to them and you are happy that they have just entered into your life.
In Japanese you can say:

 Yoroshiku. (Nice to meet you!)

Or more politely

 Douzo, yoroshiku onegai itashimasu (It’s really nice to meet you)

You can remember this as “nice to meet you” but it more directly translates into “Please be kind to me” or “Remember me favorably.”
These are phrases that you can use after you have introduced yourself or heard the introduction of the other party.

Now lets put all of this together and look at an example conversation to help you remember and practice this simple Japanese introduction.

Example Introduction Conversation

Adam: Konbanwa. Watashi no namae wa Adam desu. (Hello. My name is Adam.)
Ben: Watashi wa Ben desu. (I’m Ben.)
Adam: Yoroshiku. (Nice to meet you!)
Ben: Kochira koso. (Likewise.)

So as you can see here this is how a nice casual introduction would play out. Not let’s take a look at something a little more formal.

Adam:  Adam to moushimasu (My name is Adam)
Ben: Ben to moushimasu (My name is Ben)
Adam: Douzo, yoroshiku onegai itashimasu (It’s really nice to meet you)

My name is Marina.
 私の名前は まりな です。
 [Watashi no namae wa marina desu]

Hello. My name is Maina. Nice to meet you.
 こんにちわ。私の名前は まりな です。よろしくお願いします。
 [Konnichiwa Watashi no namae wa marina desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu]

Side notes – Self Introductions in Japanese

When it comes to hand shakes in Japanese introductions you should never just jump in for one like in the west. This is considered very rude and is usually used between people of equal status. When in Japan I would suggest that you stay away from hand shakes as much as possible. Maybe keep it handy for drunk salarymen but that’s about it.

Now Japan is very famous for the bow. You can use this in your introduction but only after you have finished speaking. Don’t use this mid-sentence as this will also come off rather rude.

Remember also not to talk about yourself too much either as this will really not give a good impression of you. Have respect for the other person’s time and be sure to look interested in what they have to say. Unless the person you are talking to has a lot of interest in your back story I would suggest to try and keep introductions as brief as possible.

So there we are, we’ve now covered the basics of introducing yourself in Japanese. In the next post we are going to be looking at taking this to the next level by adding in more complex introductory sentences such as expressing where you come from, age and occupation.

Complex Introductions in Japanese

We are going to be learning how to introduce yourself in Japanese with some more complex sentences and phrases. Not only are we going to be introducing where you come from and how old you are, we are also going to be looking at introducing hobbies and occupations in Japanese too.

This online Japanese lesson on complex introductions in Japanese is a continuation from the previous lesson “Simple Introductions in Japanese” so if you haven’t checked that out be sure to take a look before looking at this.

So guys strap yourself in and lets first take a look at introducing how old you are in Japanese.

So, how old are you? in Japanese

With every introduction, being able to tell someone how old you are is a vital aspect. No we are going to learn how to do this in Japanese so you can learn how to expand your Japanese introduction ability.

To do this you simply use the following phrase:

I am …… years old. in Japanese

私は(age)歳です。
Watashi wa (age) sai desu. 

In putting your age before “sai desu” will let the other person know how old you are and develop your introduction.

However just like in the western world it’s definitely considered rude to ask a lady her age. So fella’s remember your manners and be courteous.

Where are you from? in Japanese

So now it’s time to introduce where you are from in Japanese. Let’s first look at some countries to ensure you know how to say the name of your country in Japanese.

So now that you know have had a look on the country names you may now be able to know how to say your country in Japanese, if you didn’t already before.

To introduce where you are from in Japanese in a Japanese introduction you would say:

アメリカから 来ました。
Amerika kara kimshita

So all you would have to do is input your country before Kara kimashita.

Next, let’s take a look at how to introduce your occupation in Japanese.

Tell me about your occupation? in Japanese

Well when it comes to introducing your occupation in Japanese you can say it in a few ways. Let’s have a look at 2 examples.

私の仕事は
わたしのしごとは
Watashi no Shigoto wa …
My job is …

私の職業は
わたしのしょくぎょうは
Watashi no shokugyou wa …
My occupation is …

Now you can choose between your preference here just add your job title after “Wa”

What about your hobbies? in Japanese

Hobbies are wonderful things, they are what make up your character and also say a lot about you as a person. It is very common to introduce your hobby during self introductions in Japanese so lets have a look at how to this now.

私の趣味は …
わたしのしゅみは …
Watashi no shumi wa …
My hobby is …

To introduce your hobby in Japanese simply add your hobby of choice after “Watashi no shumi wa”

An example of this would be, “わたしのしゅみはにほんごをべんきょうすることです”. My hobby is studying Japanese.

Jikoshoukai(自己紹介) – Summary

So now you know how to introduce your age, country, occupation and hobbies, you are all set to go off and impress the world with your Japanese introduction ability.
The Japanese introduction is in most cases the conversation starter for any new people that you meet so ensure that you practice it a lot.

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