Learn Japanese: Basic Introduction

This lesson focuses on the essentials of a basic self-introduction, known in Japanese as jikoshoukai (自己紹介). Mastering these terms is the first step toward building relationships and navigating daily life in Japan. You will learn foundational greetings like konnichiwa (こんにちは) for hello and specialized phrases used when meeting someone for the first time, such as hajimemashite (はじめまして) for nice to meet you. These words are vital because Japanese social etiquette places great emphasis on clear, polite introductions to establish mutual respect between speakers.

You will notice several important patterns in this list, particularly regarding levels of politeness. Many formal expressions include the phrase gozaimasu, such as ohayou gozaimasu (おはようございます) for good morning and arigatou gozaimasu (ありがとうございます) for thank you. Including this makes your speech sound much more professional and courteous. Another key pattern is the question marker ka. In Japanese, questions are often formed by adding this sound to the end of a phrase, as seen in the examples nan desu ka (何ですか) for what? and dare desu ka (だれですか) for who?

Beyond greetings, this set introduces nouns to help you describe your identity. You can identify yourself using watashi (私) and state your role, whether you are a gakusei (学生) or a kaishain (会社員). You will also learn to identify languages and places, such as nihongo (日本語) for the Japanese language and nihon (日本) for Japan. These building blocks allow you to share basic information about your life and background.