Self-Introduction in Japanese (自己紹介): はじめまして to よろしく
A self-introduction in Japanese is called a 自己紹介 (jikoshoukai). It is a fixed first-meeting frame built from four set beats: 初めまして, your name, where you are from or why you are here, and a closing 宜しくお願いします.12 Learn the frame once, and you can introduce yourself in almost any setting. This article gives you a polite version for strangers, a casual version for peers, and a straight answer on whether to bow or shake hands.
Overview: What a 自己紹介 Is and When You Use It
A 自己紹介 is the short introduction you give the first time you meet someone: on the first day at a new school or job, when a friend introduces you to their friends, or when a group goes around the room. It is a ritual rather than free conversation. The phrases are conventional and largely fixed, so you fill the name, origin, and occupation slots in a frame instead of composing new sentences each time.12
Because a first meeting is usually with someone you do not yet know, the self-introduction is taught in the です/ます polite style. Both standard beginner textbooks present their model self-intro this way.12
The Four-Beat Skeleton
The textbook self-introduction is a fixed four-beat frame. The 初めまして opening and the 宜しくお願いします closing are the bookends. The name and origin slots sit between them.
The Minna no Nihongo Lesson 1 model self-intro runs exactly this order, and Genki Lesson 1 teaches the same bookends around the name slot.12
Think of the frame as four slots you fill, not a script to memorize blindly. Once the bookends are automatic, swapping in a new name or hometown is easy.
Polite Is the Default Here
A first-meeting self-introduction to someone you do not know is polite by default. The model self-intro in both Genki and Minna no Nihongo is given in です/ます, so use that register whenever you are unsure.12
Plain form is secondary. Save it for peers your own age, classmates, or children. This article shows the polite form first and the casual form second for each slot.
The Set Phrases: はじめまして and よろしくお願いします
Two phrases bookend almost every self-introduction: 初めまして at the start and 宜しくお願いします at the end. Learn them as whole units before worrying about the slots in between.
はじめまして: The Opening
初めまして is the conventional opening of a self-introduction, glossed in textbooks as "how do you do" or "nice to meet you."12
はじめまして。1
"Nice to meet you." / "How do you do."
It is the same word in polite and casual settings. Tone and the words that follow carry the register difference, not はじめまして itself.3 At a true first meeting between peers, you still say はじめまして, then drop to casual only in the closing.
The word is written 初めまして (or 始めまして). It comes from 初める or 始める, "to begin, to do for the first time," plus the polite ‑まして form. The literal sense is "(this being) the first time we meet," which is why it marks a genuine first meeting only.4
よろしくお願いします: The Closing
宜しく is a greeting word added when showing goodwill toward someone or making a request of them. With お願いします, it forms the standard closing of a self-introduction.56 Textbooks gloss the whole phrase by function as "please treat me well" or "I look forward to our relationship," not as a literal translation.1
よろしくお願いします。1
"Please treat me well." / "I look forward to working with you."
This is the most important line in the self-introduction. Its function does not map to a clean English equivalent, so treat it as a set phrase rather than a word-for-word translation.56
The phrase has a ladder of register, from plainest to most formal. The right rung depends on who you are talking to.
| Form | Register | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| 宜しく | casual | peers, classmates, friends3 |
| どうぞ宜しく | casual, softened | peers, slightly warmer3 |
| 宜しくお願いします | polite | the default for a first meeting13 |
| どうぞ宜しくお願いします | polite, reinforced | the Minna no Nihongo Lesson 1 model2 |
| 宜しくお願いいたします | most formal | business, to superiors3 |
The most formal rung uses いたします, the humble form of します. Learn the full expression as a fixed phrase for business settings rather than trying to conjugate it.
どうぞよろしくお願いします。2
"I'm very pleased to meet you." / "Please treat me well."
よろしく。3
"Nice to meet you." / "Let's get along."
宜 is a common kanji spelling for よろしく, but it is an ateji here: kanji used mainly for sound rather than ordinary meaning. Its standard 常用漢字 reading is ギ, not よろ. Dictionaries and style guides recommend writing the word in kana. Both spellings are read identically.5
Building the Self-Introduction, Line by Line
Each slot in the frame has a polite default and a casual variant. The polite form is the one to use with a stranger; the casual form is for same-age peers, classmates, or a relaxed setting.
Stating Your Name
The polite default puts your name into 〜です: 私は〜です, "I am 〜." The は particle marks 私 as the topic.1
わたしは田中です。1
"I'm Tanaka."
A more formal option is 〜と申します, "I am called 〜." This uses 申します, a humble form that lowers the speaker. It is the version used in business and to superiors. Learn it as a whole memorized phrase, not as something you conjugate.23
田中と申します。2
"My name is Tanaka."
Among same-age peers, 〜です is still natural and polite enough. The plainest copula, 〜だ, is rarely used for the name slot. A first name plus よろしく is common between peers.3
The polite-versus-casual choice for each beat lines up like this.
| Beat | Polite (default) | Casual (peers) | When to use which |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | 私は〜です / 〜と申します | 〜です / first name + よろしく | 申します for business; です otherwise |
| Origin | 〜から来ました / 〜出身です | 〜から来た / 〜出身 | polite for first meetings |
| Occupation | 学生です / 〜を勉強しています | 学生 / 〜を勉強してる | polite for first meetings |
| Closing | 宜しくお願いします | 宜しく | drop to よろしく only with peers |
In Japanese, the family name comes first and the given name second. The government's 2019 notice, in effect from 1 January 2020, formalized family-name-first order for the romanization of Japanese names in public documents. The family name may be capitalized, as in YAMADA Tarō.7 You are not obligated to invert your own name, but it helps to recognize the convention.3
Where You Are From / Nationality
The polite form has two interchangeable patterns: 〜から来ました, "I came from 〜," and 〜出身です, "I am from 〜."3
アメリカから来ました。3
"I'm from America." / "I came from America."
アメリカの出身です。3
"I'm from America."
Nationality is built as country name plus 人 plus です, as in アメリカ人です, "I'm American." The particle の links a country or place to a following noun.3
Among peers, the same content can drop to plain form: 〜から来た, or 〜出身 with the copula dropped.3
Why You Are Here / What You Do
The polite form puts your status into 〜です, such as 学生です, "I'm a student."1 For an activity, use 〜を勉強しています, "I'm studying 〜." For work, use 〜で働いています, "I work at 〜."3
学生です。1
"I'm a student."
日本語を勉強しています。3
"I'm studying Japanese."
Among peers, the same content can drop to plain form: 学生 on its own, or 〜を勉強してる, with the い of ‑ている dropped in casual speech.3
Putting It Together: A Worked Polite Example and Its Casual Twin
The two blocks below are models built from the cited slot phrases above, not single attested native sentences. "Tanaka" and "America" are placeholders. Replace them with your own details.
Use the polite version at a first meeting with a stranger, a superior, or a group.
はじめまして。田中と申します。アメリカから来ました。よろしくお願いします。123
"Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Tanaka. I'm from America. I look forward to getting to know you."
The casual twin keeps はじめまして and the polite 来ました, but drops to よろしく at the close. Use it for same-age peers, classmates, or a relaxed social setting.
はじめまして。田中です。アメリカから来ました。よろしく。13
"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Tanaka. I'm from America. Let's get along."
Notice that the casual version is not fully plain. It keeps 来ました and です, and softens mainly at the closing. A wholly plain self-introduction sounds very informal and is uncommon at a genuine first meeting.3
Common Follow-Up Phrases
After the core four beats, a self-introduction often adds a line of small talk. The other person usually replies. A few set phrases cover most of these moments.
Hobbies and Small Talk Add-Ons
The polite hobby slot is 趣味は〜です, "my hobby is 〜." To state a preference, use 〜が好きです, "I like 〜," where が marks the object of 好き.1
趣味は音楽です。1
"My hobby is music."
音楽が好きです。1
"I like music."
Among peers, the copula drops to give 〜が好き.3
What You Hear Back
こちらこそ, roughly "no, it is I who should say that," is the standard reciprocal reply. It returns the other person's greeting, thanks, or apology to them.8 When someone introduces themselves to you first, こちらこそ、宜しくお願いします returns the closing.38
こちらこそ、よろしくお願いします。38
"Likewise, I look forward to it too." / "The pleasure is mine."
If someone introduces themselves to you first and closes with よろしくお願いします, the natural return is こちらこそ、よろしくお願いします. It mirrors their goodwill rather than simply repeating the phrase.8
Bow or Handshake? The Etiquette Question
The greeting gesture is the one part of a self-introduction that is not spoken, and beginners often ask about it. The short answer: a bow is the default, and a handshake appears mainly in business or international settings.
The Default: A Bow
In Japan, the most common greeting gesture is a bow, called お辞儀. Its depth, length, and style vary with the social context.9
For timing, deliver your spoken self-introduction first, then bow. The bow comes with or just after the words, rather than while you are still speaking.3
When a Handshake Happens
Bowing covers many situations where a handshake would be expected in the English-speaking West. Even so, many Japanese people are used to shaking hands with non-Japanese people, so handshakes do occur, especially in business and international contexts.9
The practical rule is simple: if you are unsure, follow the other person's lead rather than starting a handshake yourself.39
In a formal business self-introduction, business cards (名刺) are exchanged alongside the greeting. They are passed and received with both hands and a small bow. That belongs to the business context. The etiquette of card exchange sits with broader Japanese business culture rather than the N5 frame.9
Good to know
Do Not Say はじめまして Twice
初めまして marks a true first meeting only, so using it with someone you have already met is a beginner tell. If you met a person last week, do not greet them with はじめまして. Use a normal greeting instead.
こんにちは。1
"Hello."
The reason is built into the word. はじめまして derives from 初める, "to do for the first time," and literally marks a first encounter. Reusing it with an acquaintance contradicts its meaning.4
Surname-First and Which Name to Give
Japanese convention is family name first, given name second. The 2019 government notice, effective 1 January 2020, formalized this order for the romanization of Japanese names in public documents. The family name may be capitalized, as in YAMADA Tarō.7
You are not required to invert your own name, but recognizing the convention helps you parse Japanese names correctly. Among peers, a first-name-only introduction with よろしく is common.3
Over-Literal Translations to Avoid
It is tempting to treat よろしくお願いします as the English "nice to meet you," but that is the wrong mental model. Dictionaries define よろしく as a word added to convey goodwill or to make a request, not as a meeting greeting.56
Treat the phrase as a goodwill-and-request formula with no clean English equivalent, something close to "please be good to me going forward." The "nice to meet you" slot is closer to はじめまして.56
The Plain-Form Trap
The self-introduction is taught in です/ます because a first meeting defaults to polite.12 Dropping to plain form (〜だ, bare よろしく) with someone you do not know, someone senior, or in a group sounds overly familiar.
When in doubt, default up to です/ます. The casual variants are for peers your own age, classmates, or children, not for strangers or superiors.12
See also
- Self-Talk in Japanese: Daily Output Practice Without a Partner
- Solo Roleplay in Japanese: Restaurant, Interview, and Phone Call
- When to Start Speaking Japanese: The Output Debate, Settled Practically
- Japanese Pronouns: A Field Guide to 私, 僕, 俺, あたし, and More
- How to Write Your Name in Katakana: Foreign-Name Transcription Rules with Examples