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Business Japanese
For professionals who work with Japan: the language, and above all the codes, from the business card to the email that closes the deal.
When you work with Japan, how you say something matters as much as what you say. This path teaches the phrases that open every meeting, like よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu), how to address people by the right title, and how to hear a “no” that is said indirectly.
A conversation from this path
はじめまして。山田と申します。
hajimemashite. Yamada to mōshimasu.
Nice to meet you. My name is Yamada.
はじめまして。コーエンと申します。
hajimemashite. Kōen to mōshimasu.
Nice to meet you. My name is Cohen.
どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。
dōzo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.
I look forward to working with you.
こちらこそ、よろしくお願いいたします。
kochira koso, yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.
Likewise, I look forward to it.
本日はお忙しいところ、ありがとうございます。
honjitsu wa o-isogashii tokoro, arigatō gozaimasu.
Thank you for coming today, busy as you are.
こちらこそ、お時間をいただきありがとうございます。
kochira koso, o-jikan o itadaki arigatō gozaimasu.
Thank you for your time.
では、始めましょうか。
dewa, hajimemashō ka.
Shall we begin?
はい、よろしくお願いします。
hai, yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
Yes, please.
What you will be able to do
- Exchange business cards and introduce yourself in a meeting
- Address people by the right title
- Schedule meetings, make requests and apologize in business language
- Write a business email and handle phone and video calls
- Get business dinners and gifts right
12 lessons, 2 of them free.
Useful even if you work in English
Even when the work itself happens in English, a few correct phrases and an understanding of the culture make a real difference. For those who want to go further, the advanced path teaches keigo, the Japanese language of respect.