初(はじ)めまして
Nice to meet you — first day at work
会話
かいわ
Ken's first morning at his new Tokyo office. 田中(たなか)部長(ぶちょう) is waiting near the entrance to welcome him. うさぎ is already at her desk nearby.
ケン
あの…ケンともうします。今日(きょう)からよろしくおねがいします。
田中(たなか)部長(ぶちょう)
ああ、ケンさんですね。ええ、ええ、ようこそ！わたしは田中(たなか)です。よろしくおねがいします。
ケン
はじめまして、田中(たなか)さん。よろしくおねがいします。
田中(たなか)部長(ぶちょう)
こちら、うさぎさんです。おなじチームですよ。なかよくしてあげてな。
うさぎ
わ、ケンさん！はじめまして！うさぎです。よろしく！
ケン
はじめまして、うさぎさん。ケンです。えーと…よろしくおねがいします！
うさぎ
デスクはこっちですよ〜！あ、これ、チョコです。どうぞ！
ケン
え？ありがとうございます！
田中(たなか)部長(ぶちょう)
わからないことがあったら、うさぎさんにきいてください。
うさぎ
まかせて！なんでもきいてね！
ケン・心(こころ)の中(なか)
よかった…みんな、やさしい。でも、にほんご、ちょっとはやかった。
Ken
Um… my name is Ken. Please take care of me from today.
Tanaka-buchō
Ah, you're Ken-san. Yes, yes — welcome! I'm Tanaka. It's nice to meet you.
Ken
Nice to meet you, Tanaka-san. I look forward to working with you.
Tanaka-buchō
This is Usagi-san. She's on the same team. Do get along with her, won't you.
Usagi
Oh wow, Ken-san! Nice to meet you! I'm Usagi. Nice to meet ya!
Ken
Nice to meet you, Usagi-san. I'm Ken. Um… I look forward to it!
Usagi
Your desk is right over here~! Oh, this is chocolate. Please take it!
Ken
What? Thank you so much!
Tanaka-buchō
If there's anything you don't understand, please ask Usagi-san.
Usagi
Leave it to me! Ask me anything, okay!
Ken [thinks]
Thank goodness… everyone is kind. But the Japanese was a little fast.
①
～です / ～ます — The Polite Forms
Japanese politeness lives at the end of the sentence. In an office, with strangers, or with people you've just met, you'll almost always use the polite form.
です ends sentences with nouns and adjectives:
-
ケンです。
"I'm Ken."
おなじチームです。
"We're on the same team."
ます ends polite verb sentences:
-
よろしくおねがいします。
"Please take care of me."
きいてください。
"Please ask."
Notice: Usagi says よろしく！ — she drops the ます ending to sound casual and friendly. You'll hear this a lot among people your own age. Neither form is wrong; they just say something different about the relationship.
②
～と申します — Humble Self-Introduction
When meeting someone formally for the first time, Japanese has a special, humble way to say your name:
ケンともうします。
"My name is Ken." (formal / humble)
ケンです。
"I'm Ken." (neutral polite)
The verb もうします (申します) is the humble form of いいます (to say). You'll use this on your first day at work, meeting a client, or any formal first encounter.
From the conversation: Ken uses ともうします because it's a formal first day. Usagi says うさぎです — already acting casual and friendly. Both are grammatically correct. They just reveal who the person is.