If you want to introduce yourself in Japanese, the good news is that it follows a fixed pattern called the 自己紹介 (jikoshōkai). It almost never changes. Learn the skeleton once, swap in a few words of your own, and you can present yourself cleanly in a classroom, at a party, or across a desk in a job interview.
A self-introduction strings together a handful of small pieces in a stable order: an opening, your name, where you are from, something you do or like, and a closing line. We will walk through each piece, then bolt them together into one full template you can reuse anywhere.
紹How to introduce yourself in Japanese, step by step
Here is the whole shape before we zoom in. A standard 自己紹介 runs like this:
- Opening: はじめまして (hajimemashite), a set phrase for a first meeting.
- Name: your name plus です or the more formal と申します.
- Origin: where you are from, using 出身 (shusshin).
- You: your job, your studies, or something you enjoy.
- Closing: よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu).
None of these lines is long. What makes the introduction feel polished is keeping them in order and not skipping the bookends, the opening and the closing.
挨Start with はじめまして
You always begin with はじめまして (hajimemashite), which literally means "for the first time." It is the equivalent of "nice to meet you," and you only use it when you actually meet someone for the first time.
はじめまして。
hajimemashite.
Nice to meet you.
If you want more ways to open a conversation before the introduction itself, our guide to saying hello in Japanese covers the greetings that come just before this line.
名Saying your name
The simple, works-everywhere version uses です:
マリーです。
marī desu.
I'm Marie.
For a more formal tone, in a professional setting for example, you use と申します (to mōshimasu), a humble phrase that means "my name is":
マリー・デュポンと申します。
marī dyupon to mōshimasu.
My name is Marie Dupont.
と申します is more respectful than です. Reach for it in front of a client, a recruiter, or an audience. Among students or in a relaxed setting, です is plenty.
国Where you are from
To say where you come from, the pattern is regular: place + 出身 (shusshin) です, meaning "I'm from."
- フランス出身です · furansu shusshin desu · I'm from France
- パリ出身です · pari shusshin desu · I'm from Paris
- フランス人です · furansujin desu · I'm French
Notice the tidy rule: adding 人 (jin) to a country gives you the nationality. フランス人 (French), アメリカ人 (amerikajin, American), and so on. One kanji, and the whole set falls into place.
There is a second, slightly more casual way to say the same thing: place + から来ました (kara kimashita), literally "I came from." フランスから来ました (furansu kara kimashita) means "I came from France." Both are fine. 出身 leans a touch more formal and is what you will hear most in a 自己紹介, so it is the one worth locking in first.
仕What you do and what you like
An introduction is warmer when you add a word about your work, your studies, or your interests. Here again, です does most of the lifting.
- 学生です · gakusei desu · I'm a student
- 会社員です · kaishain desu · I'm an office worker
- 日本語を勉強しています · nihongo o benkyō shite imasu · I'm studying Japanese
- 音楽が好きです · ongaku ga suki desu · I like music
See the particle が sitting in front of 好き (suki, "to like")? The structure "〜が好きです" is one of the most useful patterns for talking about yourself, and it comes up constantly. If the way these pieces line up feels unfamiliar, it is worth reading up on Japanese word order, because the subject-topic-verb rhythm is what makes each of these lines click into place.
If you want to name a hobby directly, there is a set phrase for that too: 趣味は〜です (shumi wa … desu), "my hobby is." It slots right in after your job or studies.
趣味は写真です。
shumi wa shashin desu.
My hobby is photography.
Pick one or two things at most. A self-introduction is meant to be short, so a single interest that invites a follow-up question does more work than a long list nobody will remember.
願よろしくお願いします, and what it really means
You always close with よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu). Textbooks often translate it as "nice to meet you," but that is misleading. The phrase has no clean English match. Roughly, it means "I'm counting on your goodwill from here on," or "please treat me kindly." It is a quiet request for a good relationship going forward.
よろしくお願いします。
yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
I look forward to knowing you (and count on you going forward).
Among friends, you can shorten it to よろしく. In a very formal setting, you step it up to よろしくお願いいたします (yoroshiku onegai itashimasu). It is close cousins with the language of gratitude, so it pairs naturally with knowing how to say thank you in Japanese.
例The full template, line by line
Let us put it all together. Here is a complete introduction, one line at a time:
はじめまして。マリーです。
hajimemashite. marī desu.
Nice to meet you. I'm Marie.
フランスのリヨン出身です。
furansu no riyon shusshin desu.
I'm from Lyon, in France.
学生です。日本語を勉強しています。
gakusei desu. nihongo o benkyō shite imasu.
I'm a student. I'm studying Japanese.
料理が好きです。よろしくお願いします。
ryōri ga suki desu. yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
I like cooking. I look forward to knowing you.
The の in フランスのリヨン links two nouns: "Lyon of France," so "Lyon, in France." It is a building block you will reuse everywhere (東京の大学, "a university in Tokyo").
場Adjust for the room
The skeleton stays the same. Only the register moves up or down.
- Casual (class, party): name + です, and a plain よろしく at the end.
- Polite (formal meeting): と申します for your name, and よろしくお願いします to close.
- Very formal (interview): と申します and よろしくお願いいたします.
Memorize the order, not a fixed sentence: opening, name, origin, a job or interest, closing. Once that skeleton is in your head, all you do is change the words. It is far sturdier than learning one canned introduction by heart.
礼The bow that goes with it
A 自己紹介 is rarely just words. It usually comes with a small bow, and the two are timed together. As a beginner, you do not need to master the fine gradations of Japanese bowing. One habit covers most situations: a light bow of the head and upper body as you deliver よろしくお願いします at the end.
Keep it simple. Bow from the waist, not just the neck, hold it for a beat, and come back up smoothly. In casual settings a quick nod is enough. The point is not precision, it is showing that the closing line means something rather than trailing off.
問Questions beginners ask
A few questions come up almost every time. Here are short, clear answers.
Do I have to give my full name? No. In casual settings your first name plus です is normal. Save the full name and と申します for formal introductions, where being clear about who you are matters.
What if I forget よろしくお願いします? Even a plain よろしく is better than nothing. The closing is what signals you are done and that you hope for a good relationship, so reach for the short form rather than skipping it entirely.
Can I introduce myself before I can read kana? You can speak the lines from romaji at first, but the words stick faster once you can read them. If you are still at that stage, spend a little time on the kana alongside these phrases so each piece becomes something you recognize, not just repeat.
誤Common mistakes to avoid
- Reusing はじめまして with someone you have already met. It is reserved for the very first time.
- Adding さん to your own name. さん is a mark of respect for other people, never for yourself.
- Dropping the closing. Without よろしくお願いします, the introduction sounds unfinished to a Japanese ear.
習Ready to introduce yourself
A good introduction rests on very little: a clear pattern and a few words you swap out for the moment. The rest comes from saying it out loud until the sequence flows on its own. Practice your own version now, filling in your name, your city, and one thing you like.
At Hibi, these building blocks (はじめまして, です, 好き, よろしくお願いします) show up inside real sentences, with the kanji on screen and the romaji within reach, so you recognize each piece when it comes back around. Hibi is launching soon on the App Store, and you can see what it is about on the Hibi page. A few minutes a day, and this whole introduction will roll off your tongue without a second thought.