Arriving
Arrive early, ten to fifteen minutes rather than an hour, and announce yourself at reception with your name and who you are meeting. The opening exchange is short and formulaic, and having it ready lets you spend your attention on everything else.
The first greeting to your new colleagues is ohayō gozaimasu regardless of nerves. It is the standard morning greeting in a workplace and is used across the hierarchy.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 本日から お世話になります、マリアと申します。 | Honjitsu kara osewa ni narimasu, Maria to mōshimasu. | I start today. My name is Maria. |
| 人事部の田中様とお約束しております。 | Jinji-bu no Tanaka-sama to oyakusoku shite orimasu. | I have an appointment with Tanaka in HR. |
| おはようございます。 | Ohayō gozaimasu. | Good morning. |
| よろしくお願いいたします。 | Yoroshiku onegaiitashimasu. | I look forward to working with you. |
| 少し早く来てしまいました。 | Sukoshi hayaku kite shimaimashita. | I have arrived a little early. |
| こちらでお待ちしております。 | Kochira de omachi shite orimasu. | I will wait here. |
The self-introduction to the team
You will be asked to introduce yourself, usually standing, usually to the whole team or department, and usually in under a minute. The structure is fixed: your name, your background in one line, your role, one light personal detail, and a closing request for their support.
The personal detail is what makes people remember you and is worth choosing deliberately. A hobby, where you live, or something about learning Japanese all work. Keep it to one sentence.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 本日から入社いたしました、マリア・ロペスと申します。 | Honjitsu kara nyūsha itashimashita, Maria Ropesu to mōshimasu. | I joined the company today. My name is Maria Lopez. |
| スペインから来ました。日本は三年目です。 | Supein kara kimashita. Nihon wa san-nen-me desu. | I am from Spain. This is my third year in Japan. |
| 前職では開発を担当しておりました。 | Zenshoku de wa kaihatsu o tantō shite orimashita. | In my previous job I was in charge of development. |
| 日本語はまだ勉強中ですが、早く慣れたいと思います。 | Nihongo wa mada benkyō-chū desu ga, hayaku naretai to omoimasu. | My Japanese is still improving, but I want to get used to things quickly. |
| 趣味は料理です。おすすめのお店があれば教えてください。 | Shumi wa ryōri desu. Osusume no omise ga areba oshiete kudasai. | My hobby is cooking. Please tell me if you have restaurants to recommend. |
| ご迷惑をおかけすることもあると思いますが、よろしくお願いいたします。 | Gomeiwaku o okake suru koto mo aru to omoimasu ga, yoroshiku onegaiitashimasu. | I am sure I will trouble you at times, but I look forward to working with you. |
Ending with a request rather than a statement is the convention. Yoroshiku onegaiitashimasu is not optional; it is how the introduction finishes.
The greetings you will use all day, every day
Six phrases cover the entire social surface of a Japanese office. They are short, they are said dozens of times a day, and using them correctly does more for how you are perceived in the first week than anything about your work.
| When | Say | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Arriving in the morning | おはようございます Ohayō gozaimasu | Used across the hierarchy |
| Passing a colleague | お疲れさまです Otsukaresama desu | The all-purpose workplace acknowledgement |
| Leaving your desk briefly | ちょっと失礼します Chotto shitsurei shimasu | Excusing yourself |
| Leaving the office | お先に失礼します Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu | Reply: お疲れさまでした |
| Someone returns from outside | お疲れさまです Otsukaresama desu | Also おかえりなさい in some offices |
| Going out on business | 行ってまいります Itte mairimasu | Reply: いってらっしゃい |
Asking where things are
You will need to ask a great many small questions in the first week, and the way to do it without appearing helpless is to batch them. Write questions down as they arise and ask five at once, at a moment when the person is not mid-task.
Preface the batch by saying it is a batch. Ima, ikutsuka shitsumon shite mo yoroshii desu ka signals that you have been keeping track rather than interrupting on impulse.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 今、いくつか質問してもよろしいでしょうか。 | Ima, ikutsuka shitsumon shite mo yoroshii deshō ka. | May I ask a few questions now? |
| お手洗いはどちらですか。 | Otearai wa dochira desu ka. | Where is the toilet? |
| 昼休みは何時からですか。 | Hiruyasumi wa nan-ji kara desu ka. | What time is the lunch break? |
| このファイルはどこに保存すればいいですか。 | Kono fairu wa doko ni hozon sureba ii desu ka. | Where should I save this file? |
| 分からないことがあれば、どなたに聞けばいいですか。 | Wakaranai koto ga areba, donata ni kikeba ii desu ka. | If I do not understand something, who should I ask? |
| 後でまとめて伺ってもいいですか。 | Ato de matomete ukagatte mo ii desu ka. | May I ask them all together later? |
Asking who to ask is the best first-week question there is. It gets you a named person and removes the hesitation before every subsequent question.
Lunch and the first week socially
Lunch on the first day is often arranged by a colleague or a manager, and accepting is worth doing even if you would rather have a quiet hour. It is where the informal information lives and where the register drops enough for real conversation.
The etiquette is light. Itadakimasu before eating and gochisōsama deshita after are standard, and if a senior colleague pays, thank them and offer to pay next time.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| お昼、ご一緒してもいいですか。 | Ohiru, goissho shite mo ii desu ka. | May I join you for lunch? |
| いただきます。 | Itadakimasu. | Said before eating. |
| ごちそうさまでした。ありがとうございます。 | Gochisōsama deshita. Arigatō gozaimasu. | Thank you for the meal. |
| この辺でおすすめのお店はありますか。 | Kono hen de osusume no omise wa arimasu ka. | Are there any restaurants you recommend around here? |
| みなさん、お昼はどうされていますか。 | Minasan, ohiru wa dō sarete imasu ka. | What does everyone do for lunch? |
| 次は私に出させてください。 | Tsugi wa watashi ni dasasete kudasai. | Please let me pay next time. |
Leaving on the first day
Leaving is its own small ritual. Check whether there is anything else needed, then use osaki ni shitsurei shimasu, excuse me for going before you. The reply, otsukaresama deshita, is what you will hear as you go.
On the first day, checking with your manager before you leave is worth doing regardless of the hour. It is a short exchange and it establishes the habit of confirming rather than disappearing.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 何かお手伝いできることはありますか。 | Nani ka otetsudai dekiru koto wa arimasu ka. | Is there anything I can help with? |
| 本日はここまでで大丈夫でしょうか。 | Honjitsu wa koko made de daijōbu deshō ka. | Is it all right to finish here for today? |
| お先に失礼します。 | Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu. | Excuse me for leaving before you. |
| 本日はありがとうございました。 | Honjitsu wa arigatō gozaimashita. | Thank you very much for today. |
| 明日もよろしくお願いいたします。 | Ashita mo yoroshiku onegaiitashimasu. | I look forward to tomorrow as well. |
| お疲れさまでした。 | Otsukaresama deshita. | Thank you for your work. (the reply you will hear) |
What to watch in the first week
Beyond language, the first week is about calibration, and the fastest way to calibrate is to watch rather than ask. When people actually arrive and leave, how meetings start, who speaks first, whether lunch is taken together, and how chat messages are written all vary enormously between companies.
Copy your team rather than the strictest version you have read about. Japanese workplaces differ far more than generalisations suggest, and the local norm is the one that matters.
- When people actually arrive and leave, not the official hours
- Whether messages use keigo or plain polite forms
- Who is addressed by title and who by name plus san
- How meetings open and whether juniors speak
- Whether lunch is communal or individual
- How questions are asked: chat, in person, or in a scheduled slot