Does hajimemashite really mean “nice to meet you” in Japanese?

What does “hajimemashite” mean in Japanese?

A lot of Japanese learners understand “hajimemashite” as a Japanese greeting for ‘nice to meet you’. Basically, this understanding is correct. Native speakers actually often use it to say ‘nice to meet you’ in Japanese. I think, however, that Japanese learners start to wonder as they learn more Japanese words: is “hajimemashite” really saying ‘nice to meet you’ in Japanese? In this blog post, therefore, I will explain what this greeting really means in Japanese and what Japanese greeting is closer to ‘nice to meet you’. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “hajimemashite” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “hajimemashite”
• What does “hajimemashite” stand for?
• Japanese literal translation of “nice to meet you”
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “hajimemashite”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “hajimemashite”.

• hajimemashite – 初めまして/始めまして (はじめまして) : a Japanese greeting for ‘nice to meet you’.

This greeting has the two different kanji expressions. Both are understandable and acceptable. It’s worth mentioning, however, that the first one is more suitable to focus on the first time meeting while the second one is more suitable to express the start of a relationship.

Despite both kanji expressions are used today, the first one is more strongly related to the non-abbreviated greeting. Next, let me explain it in detail.

What does “hajimemashite” stand for?

There are various theories, but “hajimemashite” is often considered as the shortened version of “hajimete o me ni kakari masu”. Let me explain its components in detail, one by one. These explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “hajimemashite” more clearly.

• hajimete – 初めて (はじめて) : an adverb meaning ‘for the first time’ in Japanese.
• o – お : a prefix working to make its following word polite.
• me – 目 (め) : a noun meaning ‘eye’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action is heading.
• kakari – かかり : one conjugation of the verb, “kakaru”, which means ‘to be seen’ in Japanese.
• masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the example, this is used after “kakari” to make it sound polite.

From these six components, we can understand that “hajimete o me ni kakari masu” literally means ‘to be seen with your eyes for the first time’. So, it is the Japanese expression where the speaker is described as the object seen by the listener for the first time. Based on this original concept, we can also understand that the shortened version, “hajimemashite”, is a polite expression saying “you see me for the first time”.

Again, but Japanese learners start to wonder as they learn more Japanese words: is “hajimemashite” really saying “nice to meet you” in Japanese? Its pronunciation is close to that of “hajimete” which means ‘for the first time’, so they start to think that it should be more like a greeting saying “this is the first time” in Japanese. The explanations of the components above would answer their question, I think. Their thought is correct; the original meaning is indeed closer to “for the first time”. Translations do not always work well. Sometimes, they don’t reflect meanings or nuances which exist in original languages.

Japanese literal translation of “nice to meet you”

So far, I’ve explained “hajimemashite” and its non-abbreviated version in detail. Then, let me explain what Japanese greeting is literally closer to ‘nice to meet you’. It’s not easy to find out a literal translation for ‘nice to meet you’ in Japanese, but below would be one of the closest phrases.

• a e te ureshii desu – 会えて嬉しいです (あえてうれしいです) : a Japanese phrase for ‘nice to meet you’ or ‘happy to meet you’.

To understand this phrase more clearly, let me explain its components in detail, one by one.

• a – 会 (あ) : one conjugation of the verb, “au”, which means ‘to meet’ in Japanese. In the phrase, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• e – え : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “eru”, which is used after a verb to make its potential form. In the example, this is used after “a” to make its conjugated potential form, “a e”, which means ‘to be able to meet’.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In Japanese, te forms of words have some important roles. One of them is make a cause-and-effect structure in a sentence. In this phrase, this is used to make the cause-and-effect structure where the speaker becomes happy as he/she is able to meet the listener.
• ureshii – 嬉しい (うれしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘happy’ in Japanese.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the phrase, this is used after “ureshii” to make it sound polite.

From these five components, we can understand that “a e te ureshii desu” is literally a Japanese polite phrase for ‘happy to meet you’. In Japanese, there is another i-adjective which Japanese people often use to mean “nice” in general. But, it is not suitable for being used in the phrase above. So, this “happy to meet you” expression can be one of the Japanese phrases literally closest to the English one, ‘nice to meet you’. Interestingly, however, its actual usage is more close to that of “nice to see you”, I think. Japanese people less often use it for the first time meeting.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained “hajimemashite” and what this greeting really means in Japanese based on its non-abbreviated expression. And also, I’ve explained what Japanese greeting is literally closer to ‘nice to meet you’. Let me summarize them as follows.

• hajimemashite – 初めまして/始めまして (はじめまして) : a Japanese greeting for ‘nice to meet you’.
• hajimete o me ni kakari masu – 初めてお目にかかります (はじめておめにかかります) : a Japanese greeting which literally means ‘to be seen with your eyes for the first time’. This can be considered as the non-abbreviated version of “hajimemashite”.
• a e te ureshii desu – 会えて嬉しいです (あえてうれしいです) : a Japanese phrase for ‘nice to meet you’. This meaning is more like “happy to meet you”. However, the i-adjective meaning ‘nice’ in general in Japanese is not suitable for being used in this type of phrase. So, this can be one of the Japanese phrases literally closest to the English one, “nice to meet you”.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.