Japanese for business meetings
The meeting in Tokyo or Osaka may well be in English, perhaps with an interpreter. What happens around it is in Japanese: the bow, the exchange of business cards, dinner with your clients, the thank-you the next day. Here are the phrases for those moments, all in polite business Japanese with pronunciation for English speakers, plus the expressions Japanese partners use to say no without saying it.
Pronunciation in six rules
Japanese looks harder than it sounds: few sounds, clear vowels, hardly any stress. The writing system takes years, but you don't need it for the phrases below.
Three scripts
Japanese mixes kanji (characters from Chinese for the core of words), hiragana (rounded syllable signs for endings and small words) and katakana (angular, for loanwords and foreign names: スミス is “Smith”). You don't need to read them, but a few signs help: 入口 entrance, 出口 exit, 駅 station, 東京 Tokyo, 大阪 Osaka, 男 men, 女 women.
Even rhythm
Japanese has no strong stress like English. Every syllable gets the same time and weight, almost like counting: ha-ji-me-ma-shi-te. The voice rises and falls a little, but if you keep an even beat you will be understood. That is why no syllable is in capitals in the pronunciation below.
Long vowels, double consonants
A long vowel is held twice as long and changes the meaning: おばさん “o-ba-san” is an aunt, おばあさん “o-bā-san” a grandmother. Roman spelling often drops the length: Tokyo and Osaka are really “tō-kyō” and “ō-sa-ka”. A double consonant is a short pause before it, as in “bookcase”: chotto = “chot-to”.
Silent u and i
Between k, s, sh, t, ts, h and p, and after s at the end of a sentence, u and i almost disappear. desu sounds like “dess”, -masu like “mass”, hajimemashite like “ha-ji-me-mash-te” and sukiyaki like “ski-ya-ki”.
The r
The Japanese r is a single quick tap of the tongue tip behind the upper teeth, somewhere between r, l and d, like the tt in American “butter”. Don't curl the tongue back as in English: arigatō sounds almost like “a-di-ga-tō”.
Polite forms
In business, sentences end in -desu and -masu, the standard polite form. On top of that comes keigo, respectful language: humble when you talk about yourself (申します instead of 言います for “to be called”, 弊社 for your own company), respectful about the other side (御社 for their company). Add -san to other people's names, never to your own.
In the pronunciation below, syllables are joined with “-”, words are separated by spaces and “·” separates two sentences. Give every syllable the same weight. a as in father, i as in machine, u as in put but with relaxed, unrounded lips, e as in get, o as in hot, all short; a line on top (ā, ī, ū, ē, ō) means hold the vowel twice as long. ai rhymes with eye, g is always hard as in go, j as in jam, ch as in church, ts as in cats, y as in yes. Always pronounce a final e: mashite ends in “-te”, never a silent e.
Greeting and exchanging business cards
First the bow, then the business cards. Hand over your card with both hands, turned so the other person can read it, and receive theirs the same way. With someone more senior, hold your card slightly lower than theirs.
- はじめまして。ha-ji-me-mash-teNice to meet you. (only the first time you meet)
- スミス・ロジスティクスのスミスと申します。smiss ro-jis-ti-kus no smiss to mō-shi-massI'm Smith from Smith Logistics. (company first, then your surname)
- よろしくお願いいたします。yo-rosh-ku o-ne-gai i-ta-shi-massI look forward to working with you. (goes with every introduction, together with a bow)
- 頂戴いたします。chō-dai i-ta-shi-massThank you. (when receiving a business card; literally “I humbly accept it”)
- 本日はお時間をいただき、ありがとうございます。hon-ji-tsu wa o-ji-kan o i-ta-da-ki, a-ri-ga-tō go-zai-massThank you for your time today.
In the meeting
- 日本語は少ししか話せません。ni-hon-go wa sko-shi shka ha-na-se-ma-senI only speak a little Japanese.
- 恐れ入りますが、英語でもよろしいでしょうか。o-so-re i-ri-mass ga, ē-go de-mo yo-ro-shī de-shō kaExcuse me, would English be all right? (恐れ入りますが politely opens any request)
- もう少しゆっくりお願いできますか。mō sko-shi yuk-ku-ri o-ne-gai de-ki-mass kaCould you speak a little more slowly?
- 弊社の新しい製品をご紹介します。hē-sha no a-ta-ra-shī sē-hin o go-shō-kai shi-massLet me introduce our new product. (弊社: your own company, humble)
- 何かご質問はございますか。na-ni-ka go-shtsu-mon wa go-zai-mass kaDo you have any questions?
- 資料をメールでお送りします。shi-ryō o mē-ru de ō-ku-ri shi-massI'll send you the documents by email.
Saying no and hearing no
You will rarely hear a direct no (いいえ) in negotiations. Refusals sound soft, and if you have to refuse, soft words go down better too.
- 検討いたします。ken-tō i-ta-shi-massWe will consider it. (often a polite no, especially if no date for an answer follows)
- それはちょっと難しいですね。so-re wa chot-to mu-zu-ka-shī dess neThat's a little difficult. (usually a clear no)
- 社内で確認して、改めてご連絡いたします。sha-nai de ka-ku-nin shte, a-ra-ta-me-te go-ren-ra-ku i-ta-shi-massI'll check internally and get back to you. (buys time without committing)
- 大変申し訳ございませんが、今回は見送らせていただきます。tai-hen mō-shi-wa-ke go-zai-ma-sen ga, kon-kai wa mi-o-ku-ra-se-te i-ta-da-ki-massI'm very sorry, but we will have to pass this time. (polite but unambiguous)
Dinner with clients
You don't pour your own drink; you keep an eye on everyone else's glass. When someone pours for you, hold your glass up with both hands. If you don't want any more, simply leave your glass full.
- 乾杯！kan-paiCheers! (don't drink until everyone has a glass and you have toasted)
- いただきます。i-ta-da-ki-massSaid before the first bite, a little like “bon appétit”. (literally “I humbly receive”)
- お注ぎします。o-tsu-gi shi-massLet me pour for you.
- とてもおいしいです。to-te-mo o-i-shī dessThis is delicious.
- すみません、お酒は飲めないんです。su-mi-ma-sen, o-sa-ke wa no-me-nain dessI'm sorry, I don't drink alcohol. (ordering oolong tea is perfectly fine)
- ごちそうさまでした。go-chi-sō-sa-ma desh-taThank you for the meal. (after eating and to your host; the next day: 昨日はごちそうさまでした)
Hotel, taxi and train
- 予約しているスミスです。チェックインをお願いします。yo-yak shte i-ru smiss dess · chek-ku-in o o-ne-gai shi-massI have a reservation under Smith. I'd like to check in.
- 領収書をお願いします。ryō-shū-sho o o-ne-gai shi-massA receipt, please. (for expenses, in taxis, hotels and restaurants)
- 東京駅までお願いします。tō-kyō e-ki ma-de o-ne-gai shi-massTo Tokyo Station, please. (in a taxi; best to show the address in Japanese too)
- 新大阪行きの新幹線は何番線ですか。shin-ō-sa-ka yu-ki no shin-kan-sen wa nam-ban-sen dess kaWhich platform does the Shinkansen to Shin-Osaka leave from?
- 申し訳ございません、10分ほど遅れそうです。mō-shi-wa-ke go-zai-ma-sen, jup-pun ho-do o-ku-re-sō dessI'm very sorry, I'm going to be about ten minutes late. (call before, not after)
Emergency numbers in Japan: 110 for the police, 119 for ambulance and fire brigade.
Thanks and follow-up
In Japan people like to say thank you twice: at the end of the meeting and again the next time you are in touch.
- ありがとうございました。a-ri-ga-tō go-zai-mash-taThank you very much. (at the end of the meeting; past tense, for what has happened)
- お疲れさまでした。ots-ka-re-sa-ma desh-taThank you for all your work. (when parting after a long meeting or a day at a trade fair)
- 先日はありがとうございました。sen-ji-tsu wa a-ri-ga-tō go-zai-mash-taThank you for the other day. (to open the follow-up email or your next conversation)
- 今後ともよろしくお願いいたします。kon-go to-mo yo-rosh-ku o-ne-gai i-ta-shi-massI look forward to continuing to work with you. (closing line for emails and when you part)
Good to know
Business cards on the table
During the meeting, lay the cards you received on the table in front of you, in the order people are sitting, with the most senior person's card on your card case. Don't write on them or put them in your back pocket. Bring plenty of cards, ideally with a Japanese reverse side.
On time means early
Arrive five to ten minutes before the appointment. If you are going to be late, call ahead and apologise, even for a few minutes.
Suica and the Shinkansen
An IC card such as Suica or ICOCA, also available in your phone's wallet, works on trains, buses and in many shops. The Nozomi from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka takes about two and a half hours. Suitcases over 160 cm in total dimensions need a reserved seat with luggage space.
No tipping
Don't tip in restaurants, taxis or hotels; it tends to cause confusion. You usually pay at the till by the exit. The driver opens and closes the rear taxi door with a lever, so don't pull it yourself.
A course for exactly your trip
A phrasebook can only guess what you're planning. In LingoTrip you tell it: negotiating with a supplier in Nagoya, a factory visit near Osaka, a trade fair in Tokyo. LingoTrip builds a course around exactly those conversations, with audio, speech recognition and spaced review until you leave.
Coming soon to the App Store and Google PlayFAQ
Is English enough for business meetings in Japan?
In large companies it often is, and many people understand more English than they speak. For negotiations an interpreter is worth it. A few Japanese phrases for greetings, dinner and thanks go down very well, precisely because nobody expects them.
Do I need to learn keigo?
No. Nobody expects it from foreigners; the -desu and -masu form is polite enough. The set phrases on this page, such as 申します and いたします, already contain the humble forms you need.
How long will it take to learn these phrases?
For greetings, business cards, dinner and thanks, one to three weeks at a few minutes a day is enough. Learning to read takes much longer, but you don't need it for these phrases.
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