Happy Sunday, Japanophiles. Herewith the 74th issue of the Hai Japan Newsletter — your Weekly Dose of Japan!

Today, we’re going through…

BUSINESS JAPANESE !!!

Anime of the day: Vivi Fluorite Eye's Song

Grammar Focus: Business Japanese Basics – Polite Phrases & Keigo

When you're in a formal or professional setting, you can't just speak casual Japanese. You'll need polite Japanese (丁寧語 teineigo), humble Japanese (謙譲語 kenjōgo), and respectful Japanese (尊敬語 sonkeigo) to show proper etiquette.

This issue will help you:

• Use business-level greetings

• Speak politely

• Avoid sounding too casual

1. Basic Business Greetings

🗨️ お疲れ様です (Otsukaresama desu)
→ “Good work” / “Thanks for your effort” / “Hello” at work

Use it to greet coworkers or acknowledge their hard work. Super versatile!

👔 Example:
部長、お疲れ様です！
Buchō, otsukaresama desu!
→ Good afternoon, Manager!

📝 Note: Never say this to customers or clients — it's only internal.

🗨️ いつもお世話になっております (Itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu)
→ “Thank you for your continued support.”

Use this in emails, phone calls, or when greeting clients. It’s the go-to opener in formal business interactions.

📞 Example:
ABC株式会社の田中と申します。いつもお世話になっております。
ABC kabushikigaisha no Tanaka to mōshimasu. Itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu.
→ This is Tanaka from ABC Co., Ltd. Thank you for your continued support.

2. Introducing Yourself Formally

🗨️ 〜と申します (~ to mōshimasu)
→ "My name is ~" (humble form)

👤 Example:
山田と申します。よろしくお願いいたします。
Yamada to mōshimasu. Yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.
→ My name is Yamada. I humbly ask for your support.

📝 Note: More polite than 〜です, and great for first-time meetings.

3. Asking Politely (〜ていただけますか)

🗨️ 〜ていただけますか (~te itadakemasu ka)
→ “Could you please…?”

💼 Example:
この書類をご確認いただけますか？
Kono shorui o gokakunin itadakemasu ka?
→ Could you please check this document?

📝 Note: Use “ご + noun + いただけますか” for most formal version.

4. Apologizing Formally

🗨️ 申し訳ありません (Mōshiwake arimasen)
→ “I sincerely apologize.”

Use this for formal apologies, stronger than すみません.

🙏 Example:
ご迷惑をおかけして、申し訳ありません。
Gomeiwaku o okake shite, mōshiwake arimasen.
→ I apologize for the inconvenience.

Mini Business Dialogue: The Meeting Mishap

👩‍💼 Tanaka-san (intern)
👨‍💼 Saitō-san (manager)

👨‍💼 斎藤：
田中さん、今日の会議の資料は？
Tanaka-san, kyō no kaigi no shiryō wa?
→ Tanaka-san, where are today’s meeting documents?

👩‍💼 田中：
ええと…申し訳ありません。まだ準備できていません。
Eeto… mōshiwake arimasen. Mada junbi dekite imasen.
→ Umm… I’m very sorry. They’re not ready yet.

👨‍💼 斎藤：
そうですか。では、１５時までにご提出いただけますか？
Sō desu ka. Dewa, jūgo-ji made ni go-teishutsu itadakemasu ka?
→ I see. Then, could you please submit them by 3 PM?

👩‍💼 田中：
はい。すぐに対応いたします。
Hai. Sugu ni taiō itashimasu.
→ Yes. I’ll take care of it right away.

Try This Practice

Can you rephrase the following into polite business Japanese?

1. 名前は田中です。→ (More polite?)

2. このファイル、見てください。→ (More polite?)

3. ありがとう。→ (More formal?)