Fifth Lesson: Introduce Yourself

Hi there!

Finally! Now it is time to start learning Japanese for real!

So first let's learn how to introduce yourself.

The words are always the same:

こんにちは

はじめまして

わたしはLastname 。Name です。
どうぞよろしくおねがいしま。

Let's see what they mean!

こんにちは: Good Afternoon. Also it is used as a Hello. (IMPORTANT: it is pronounced "KONNICHIWA"... it is an exception).
はじめまして: Nice to meet you (for the first time).
わたしは Lastname 。Name です。: I am ____. (It is important to notice that the Japanese people say the lastname first and then the name).
どうぞよろしくおねがいしま: Pleased to meet you.

If you are the second person you can add ちらこそ and then continue with どうぞよろしくおねがいしま。

It is very simple.

One last thing: Japanese is very very polite, so when you first meet somebody you must say these words and bow at the end of the last sentence. Also, if you are going to give something to the person (like a bussiness card) you must hold it with both hands and hand it over with a little bow and backwards, so the person in front of you can read it immediately.

Finally here is a video!