Main dialogue: an international exchange event in the ward
Wang works for a company in Yokohama. At the weekend she goes to an international exchange event run by her ward, gets talking with Mr. Sato, a high school teacher, and later introduces her classmate Sarah to him.
- 佐藤
はじめまして。佐藤です。
Nice to meet you. I’m Sato.
- ワン
はじめまして、ワンです。中国の上海から来ました。
Nice to meet you, I’m Wang. I’m from Shanghai, in China.
- 佐藤
上海ですか。日本にはいつ来ましたか。
Shanghai? When did you come to Japan?
- ワン
去年の四月です。今は横浜に住んでいます。
Last April. I live in Yokohama now.
- 佐藤
そうですか。お仕事は？
I see. And what do you do?
- ワン
ITの会社で働いています。佐藤さんは？
I work for an IT company. How about you, Mr. Sato?
- 佐藤
高校で教えています。ワンさん、趣味は何ですか。
I teach at a high school. What are your hobbies, Ms. Wang?
- ワン
写真です。週末はよくカメラを持って鎌倉に行きます。
Photography. At weekends I often take my camera to Kamakura.
- 佐藤
へえ、いいですね。
Oh, that’s nice.
- ワン
あ、佐藤さん、こちらはサラさんです。日本語学校のクラスメートです。
Oh, Mr. Sato, this is Sarah. She’s my classmate at the Japanese language school.
- サラ
はじめまして、サラです。オーストラリアから来ました。
Nice to meet you, I’m Sarah. I’m from Australia.
- 佐藤
佐藤です。どうぞよろしく。
I’m Sato. Pleased to meet you.
Wang doesn’t say everything about herself in one go; her introduction unfolds through questions and answers. This is how Japanese people usually talk on first meeting: you give your name, they ask a question, you answer and then ask back (「佐藤さんは？」). Let’s look at it piece by piece.
Where you are from and where you live
country or city から来ました
The most common way for foreigners to introduce themselves. For your home town, you can also say 「出身は〜です」.
place に住んでいます
For where you live now, use 「住んでいます」.
韓国のプサンから来ました。
I’m from Busan, in Korea.
出身は四川です。
I’m from Sichuan originally.
今は大学の近くに住んでいます。
I live near the university now.
Watch out
「住みます」 is not “I live”「大阪に住みます」 means “I’m going to live in Osaka (later)”. For where you live now, always use 「住んでいます」. Work is the same: for where you work now, say 「〜で働いています」.
Compare
“I live in …” and “I work at …” both need 「〜ています」 in Japanese: 「住んでいます」, 「働いています」. 「住みます」 and 「働きます」 sound like plans for the future.
Tip
Japanese people may ask you with the more polite 「ご出身はどちらですか」 or 「どちらにお住まいですか」. These are honorific forms; you only need to understand them, and you answer as usual with 「〜です」 or 「〜に住んでいます」.
What you do: work and study
| Phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜で働いています | work at … | 銀行で働いています。 |
| 〜の仕事をしています | work in … (a field) | デザインの仕事をしています。 |
| 〜で〜を勉強しています | study … at … | 大学で経済を勉強しています。 |
| 〜の学生です | be a student at … | 日本語学校の学生です。 |
| 会社員です | be an office worker | 会社員です。 |
When Japanese people describe their work, they often don’t name the company, just the industry or the position: 「IT関係です」, 「会社員です」. You don’t need to go into detail either; if the other person is interested, they will ask more.
The most natural way to ask about someone’s work is 「お仕事は？」, leaving the rest of the question unsaid. Avoid calling the other person 「あなた」; use their family name plus 「さん」: 「佐藤さんは？」.
Culture
On first meeting, people generally don’t ask about age, income or whether you are married. Work, where you live, how long you have been in Japan and hobbies are safe topics.
Say your interests, then add a detail
趣味は noun です
You can also say 「〜が好きです」.
趣味は料理です。週末はよくパンを焼きます。
My hobby is cooking. At weekends I often bake bread.
アニメが好きです。最近は日本の古いアニメをよく見ます。
I like anime. Lately I’ve been watching a lot of old Japanese anime.
山登りが好きで、高尾山に何回も行きました。
I like climbing mountains, and I’ve been up Mount Takao many times.
If you only say 「趣味は音楽です」, the other person has little to go on. Add something concrete: what you often do, what you did recently, which kind you like. Then they can ask 「どんな音楽ですか」, and the conversation opens up naturally.
Watch out
Don’t stack the two patterns together, as in 「趣味は料理が好きです」. Choose one: 「趣味は料理です」 or 「料理が好きです」.
Introducing others: 「こちらは〜さんです」
こちらは relationship の name さんです
「こちら」 means “this person”, and is more polite than 「この人」. You can gesture with your hand as you introduce someone.
田中先生、こちらは同じクラスのキムさんです。
Tanaka-sensei, this is Kim, who’s in my class.
こちらは姉の夫です。
This is my older sister’s husband.
Don’t add 「さん」 when introducing your own family.
The usual order of introductions: first introduce the person closer to you, or the younger or more junior one, to the other. For example, first say to the teacher 「こちらはキムさんです」, then say to Kim 「こちらは田中先生です」.
Culture
No 「さん」 for your own sideWhen you introduce your own family to outsiders, or your boss to a client at work, you don’t add 「さん」 after their names, as in 「こちらは課長の高橋です」. This is the custom of lowering “your own side”. The workplace details come in lesson 21.
Formal settings: 「〜と申します」 and exchanging business cards
When you meet someone for the first time at work, give your name with 「〜と申します」, with your company or school before it: 「ABC商事のワンと申します」. 「申します」 is the humble form of 「言います」; just learn it as a chunk.
- Exchange cards standing up. Hold yours out with both hands, with the text facing the other person, and say your company and name as you hand it over.
- Usually the visitor, or the more junior person, offers first. If you exchange at the same time, give with your right hand and receive with your left.
- As you receive a card, say 「頂戴します」, look at it, and check how the person’s name is read.
- When you sit down to talk, place the card on the table in front of you. Don’t put it straight into your pocket, and don’t write on it.
- Some people now exchange digital cards on their phones, but paper cards are still the norm in formal business settings.
- 高橋
はじめまして。さくら銀行の高橋と申します。
Nice to meet you. My name is Takahashi, from Sakura Bank.
- ワン
頂戴します。ABC商事のワンと申します。
Thank you. My name is Wang, from ABC Trading.
- 高橋
ワンさんですね。今日はよろしくお願いします。
Ms. Wang, is it? I look forward to working with you today.
Tip
The reading of a kanji name on a card isn’t always obvious. If you aren’t sure, you can ask 「お名前は何とお読みすればいいですか」; this is a very formal way to ask, and you only need to understand it. You can also say 「すみません、お名前の読み方は？」.