Nice to meet you! Discussion

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cool lesson

Boy, this lesson was a tough one! I'm having a really hard time pronouncing Yo ro shi ku. For some reason, when ever I try to say it out loud, I spit a little bit. It's like trying to talk with a lisp.

People sometimes say kochirakoso after people say yoroshikuonegaishimasu.

Hajimemashite (nice to meet you or it's the first etc) is ONLY used when you are talking with somebody the first time. They allways point this out. Well, of course you would say it only the first time. In English who would say "Nice to meet you" when they meet up the second time....? ._.

For all the confusion over 初めまして This phrase, (if you can read the Kanji) leans more towards meaning "It's my first time" (the Kanji means first time/beginning) So, this phrase can be read as, "It's my first time meeting you." That is why it is said when you first meet someone; however, in English it is quite awkward to say "It's my first time meeting you, please take care of me." So in English they have giving it a connotation that seems more like "How do you do," "Nice to meet you" This is also used as a simple greeting towards people you are just meeting. Sometimes when I first meet a Japanese person this happens. Them: 初めまして Me:初めまして Them:これから、よろしくね Me:はい、よろしく So sometimes, it can be used as a simple greeting between new people. Thus meaning that saying the literal definition (It's my first time meeting you) would sound really awkward to English speakers. It would be more appropriate to be translated as "How do you do?" Source: Japanese friend :D Hope that helps

I think that the use of 'How do you do' is meant in the older context of it being an formal style of introduction used primarily in British English. It's not used as a question to be answered like 'How are you?', but simply as a mode of greeting so it serves a similar purpose to 初めまして. (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/how-do-you-do.html)

はじめまして is definitely not "How do you do?" For that, you'd use いかがですか or おげんきですか, neither of which you would use before はじめまして when introducing yourself.

はじめまして can also be looked up here: http://www.nihongomaster.com/dictionary/entry/60164/%E5%88%9D%E3%82%81%E3%81%BE%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6-%E5%A7%8B%E3%82%81%E3%81%BE%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6-%E3%81%AF%E3%81%98%E3%82%81%E3%81%BE%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6-hajimemashite

@ RevRuby: 「はじめまして」 means (according to jisho.org) How do you do?; I am glad to meet you. I'm not in any regard knowledgeable with Japanese, however jisho.org has been recommended to me by those who are; even native speakers. Here is the actual listing for the word 「はじめまして」: http://jisho.org/words?jap=%E3%81%AF%E3%81%98%E3%82%81%E3%81%BE%E3%81%97%E3%81%A6&eng=&dict=edict

はじめまして is not "how do you do?" i know it is remarked on in the box, but seriously it should be changed in the first list.