Meeting & Greeting: Basic Japanese Conversation Dialogue for Beginners

はじめまして is the most common greeting when meeting people for the first time.; と申(もう)します is a polite (humble) way to introduce one's name.

• はじめまして hajimemashite—nice to meet you
• マイク maiku—Mike
  
• と to—(quotation marker; used to set off the name)
• 申(もう)します moushimasu—to be called [this set phrase comes from the verb 申(もう)す mousu meaning “to speak” or “to call.”])

Another way to say your name is simply "(name) desu." You may notice your name doesn't fit well into Japanese. For example, "Smith" becomes "sumisu" because the sounds in Japanese don’t allow for the "sm" combination and the "th" sound isn't found in Japanese. Ask a Japanese friend or a Japanese forum online how your name would be written in the Japanese sound system.

• はじめまして hajimemashite—nice to meet you
• 由美(ゆみ) yumi—Yumi [common girl's name]
• です desu—the copula [often used like the English “to be” but also used to show existence, a state, and identity.])

どうぞよろしくお願(ねが)いします is commonly used after はじめまして. It means something like, "please treat me well."

• どうぞよろしくお願(ねが)いします。 douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu—pleased to meet you (set phrase))

どこ = where; から = from; どこから = from where -- 来(き)ました is one of the few irregular verbs in Japanese. 来(く)る (plain form) = 来(き)ます (masu form) both mean "to come," but the masu form is more polite.

• どこから doko kara—from where [どこ where + から from]

• 来(き)ました came [past polite form of 来(き)ます to come]

• か ka (question marker)

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In Japanese, you can often drop information that was previously introduced or is expected. So instead of saying, "I am from America" or "it is America," you can simply say, "is America."

• アメリカ amerika—USA
• です desu—the copula [often used like the English “to be” but also used to show existence, a state, and identity.])

You can think of の as a limiter. It limits the information: アメリカのどこ = Not just any "where" but "Where in America?"

• アメリカ amerika—USA
• の no—(limiter or possessive marker; shows relationship between two words or phrases and limits the latter to that of the former)
• どこ doko—where
• アメリカのどこ amerika no doko—where in America
• か ka—(question marker)

州(しゅう) means "state" and is used with the fifty US states. Japan has prefectures and most are called 県(けん).

• フロリダ州(しゅう) furorida shuu—state of Florida [州(しゅう) is the word for states as in the states in the US]

でしょう implies the speaker is expecting an affirmative answer. It is a very useful sentence tag for when you aren't sure of your statement or don't want to hurt the sensibilities of the listener.

• フロリダ furorida—Florida
• は wa [topic particle; written with hiragana "ha" but pronounced "wa."]
• 暑(あつ)い atsui—hot; warm
• でしょう deshou—isn't it? [でしょう can mean "I wonder," "don't you agree," "I guess," etc.

出身(しゅっしん) = place of one's origin (usually hometown as in this example). The " ha" here is the topic particle and is pronounced "wa." This is one of the very, very few irregularities in  Japanese pronunciation.

• はい hai—yes
• 暑(あつ)い atsui—hot; warm
• 由美(ゆみ)さんの yumi san no—Yumi's [Always use さん with a person's name unless you know them very well.]
• 出身(しゅっしん) shusshin—hometown; person's origin
• どこですか doko desu ka—where is it?

• 東京(とうきょう) toukyou—Tokyo

～が好(す)き = (I) like ~

• 僕(ぼく) boku—I; me [used mostly by males]
• 東京(とうきょう) toukyou—Tokyo
• 好(ず)き suki—like

そうですか  here means "Is that so?" but it is a very versatile phrase with many meanings depending on context and how it is said.

• そうですか sou desu ka—is that so [a common phrase]
• あ a—ah!
• 私(わたし) watashi—I; me [most common first person singular pronoun used by both males and females]
• そろそろ sorosoro—soon [often used when politely letting someone know you will be leaving soon]
• 仕事(しごと)に shigoto ni—to work
• 行(い)かなくちゃ ikanakucha—(I) have to go [shortened from いかなければならない ikanakereba naranai]
• それじゃ sore ja—well, then
• また mata—see you again [literally: again]

さようなら isn't used as much as you may think. It is often used when saying goodbye to someone for a long period of time.

• はい hai—yes; okay
• さようなら sayounara—goodbye