Japanese Business Etiquette: 9 Rituals and the Exact Words for Each

Table of contents

Who this is for

• A foreign professional with a first client visit or meeting in Japan coming up who wants the high-stakes rituals locked in fast
• A new foreign hire at a Japanese company, days 0–90 (around JLPT N3–N2) who wants to convert scattered observations into one system
• A candidate preparing for an interview at a Japanese firm who wants to read the room from the first bow
• A global HR manager or team lead working with Japanese partners who wants to know what to coach and what to let slide (mirror reader)

This guide is a map: a self-diagnostic that points you at your situation, nine ritual blocks each tagged with what’s at stake and the phrase to say, and links into the deep-dive articles when you need more than a map. Start with the 30-second diagnostic below.

How to use this guide — a 30-second self-diagnostic

Etiquette guides fail when they make you read all of it. Pick the row that matches your next two weeks and read those blocks first.

Whatever you pick, the stakes tier on each block tells you the repair order: do the Tier 1 items before the Tier 3 polish.

The one idea — etiquette is behavior plus the words you say

Every ritual below has two halves: a thing you do and a thing you say. Most guides cover only the first. But a flawless bow with no greeting, or a two-handed card exchange in silence, reads as someone who memorized the moves without understanding them. The phrase is what turns a gesture into etiquette.

So each block gives you both, plus a stakes tier so you know how hard to work at it.

The stakes tiers — how hard each rule is worth working

• Tier 1 — deal-breaking. Disrespect a client, your boss’s standing, or a contract. A foreigner gets less of a pass here than you’d hope. Fix same-day.
• Tier 2 — reputation-eroding. No single instance hurts, but a pattern makes you the “not-yet-attentive” person. Fix over your first three months.
• Tier 3 — cringe but recoverable. Filed under “new to the culture” and forgotten. Worth learning, never fatal.

A/B/C politeness in 60 seconds

The phrases below are tagged with a register from the A/B/C framework in the sister article Keigo Guide: The A/B/C Framework for Workplace Japanese:

• A — casual, for close peers and family
• B — desu/masu baseline, for internal teammates
• C — full sonkeigo + kenjougo (尊敬語・謙譲語) politeness, for clients, superiors, and first meetings

One axis overlays this: uchi-soto (内・外), your side versus the other side. The classic trap is speaking to a client about your own boss: because your boss is uchi relative to the client, you drop the -san and go humble — heisha no Tanaka ga (弊社の田中が). Most of the rituals below default to C the moment an outside party is in the room.

Greetings and bowing

Stakes: Tier 1 for a first meeting or client; Tier 3 for daily passing greetings.

The first bow sets the register for everything that follows. With a foreign counterpart, a bow plus an offered handshake is warm and fine — lead with the bow, accept the hand if it comes.

• Eshaku (会釈, 15°, ~1 second) — passing in the hall, entering and leaving, a light hello
• Keirei (敬礼, 30°, ~2 seconds) — the standard business greeting and thanks
• Saikeirei (最敬礼, 45°, ~3 seconds) — deep apology, important first client, serious thanks

One held bow at the right angle reads as composed; repeated quick “bobbing” bows read as nervous.

Say it (C): at a first meeting — Hajimemashite. [Company] no [name] to mōshimasu. Yoroshiku onegai itashimasu (はじめまして。〇〇社の〇〇と申します。よろしくお願いいたします). Internally each morning, ohayō gozaimasu; any other time of day, otsukaresama desu (お疲れ様です). To a client, open with itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu (いつもお世話になっております).

Common slip: using gokurō-sama desu (a downward phrase) where otsukaresama desu belongs. Deep dive → 8 Keigo Mistakes Non-Natives Make.

Business cards — the meishi exchange

Stakes: Tier 1. The meishi (名刺) is treated as a stand-in for the person, so careless handling reads as careless regard.

1. Offer with both hands at chest height, card facing the receiver, as you state your name and company
2. Receive with both hands and say chōdai itashimasu (頂戴いたします)
3. Confirm — glance at the name and title; if several people, arrange the cards by rank
4. Place the card on the table to your upper-left for the duration of a seated meeting

Start the exchange with the highest-ranking person present, and bring a few more cards than you expect to need.

Say it (C): offering — [Company] no [name] to mōshimasu. Yoroshiku onegai itashimasu. Receiving — chōdai itashimasu. If you’ve run out, ainiku meishi o kirashite orimashite, mōshiwake gozaimasen (あいにく名刺を切らしておりまして、申し訳ございません).

Common slip: receiving one-handed or stashing the card straight into a pocket. For the full step-by-step and recovery line, see the meishi section of the common mistakes guide.

Titles, hierarchy, and seating order

Stakes: Tier 1 in front of clients; Tier 2 internally.

Address people by family name plus -san, or by family name plus title for superiors — Tanaka-buchō (田中部長), not Tanaka-buchō-san. Greet and present your card to the most senior person first.

Seating follows one rule: the seat farthest from the door is the upper seat (kamiza, 上座); the seat nearest the door is the lower seat (shimoza, 下座). Offer the kamiza to the guest or senior; you take the shimoza. The same logic governs the meeting table, the taxi, and the elevator (the panel operator stands at the shimoza).

Say it: seating a guest (C) — Dōzo, kamiza ni okake kudasai (どうぞ、上座におかけください). To a client about your own boss (C, humble) — heisha no Tanaka ga go-setsumei itashimasu (弊社の田中がご説明いたします), with no -san.

Common slip: keeping -san on your boss’s name when speaking to a client — the uchi-soto inversion. For the suffix system in full, see Japanese Honorifics Chart.

Communication style — indirectness and reading the air

Stakes: Tier 1 for decoding a soft “no”; Tier 2 for cushion phrases.

Japanese business communication leads with context and softens requests with cushion phrases (kushion kotoba). Two patterns matter most.

First, decode the soft no. Kentō shimasu (検討します, “we’ll consider it”), muzukashii desu ne (難しいですね, “that’s difficult”), and mochikaerimasu (持ち帰ります, “we’ll take it back internally”) are often a polite refusal, not encouragement. Real agreement sounds like sono hōkō de susumemashou (その方向で進めましょう).

Second, cushion before you ask. Open requests with a softener so the ask doesn’t land bluntly.

Say it (C): before a request — osore irimasu ga (恐れ入りますが) or sashitsukae nakereba (差し支えなければ). To disagree without friction — ossharu tōri desu. Sono ue de, betsu no kakudo kara mōshimasu to… (おっしゃる通りです。その上で、別の角度から申しますと…): agree first, then reframe.

Common slip: filling silence too fast. Silence in a meeting is thinking time — wait five seconds before you jump in.

Meetings and decision-making

Stakes: Tier 2 for meeting flow; Tier 1 for misreading who decides.

A Japanese meeting often ratifies a decision that was already shaped beforehand through nemawashi (根回し, quiet groundwork with stakeholders). The most vocal person in the room isn’t necessarily the decision-maker, and consensus (ringi, 稟議) is built before, not during. Bring the agenda the day before, confirm who takes minutes, and present context → current state → proposal → ask rather than the conclusion first.

Say it (C): to open — honjitsu wa o-isogashii naka, o-jikan o itadaki arigatō gozaimasu (本日はお忙しい中、お時間をいただきありがとうございます). To close — honjitsu wa arigatō gozaimashita. Hikitsuzuki yoroshiku onegai itashimasu (本日はありがとうございました。引き続きよろしくお願いいたします). Send a same-day thank-you with a summary and next actions.

Common slip: treating kentō shimasu as a yes and acting on it. Deep dive → Japanese Meeting Phrases: A 6-Phase Guide from Opening to Follow-Up.

Dress code

Stakes: Tier 2. Underdressing for a client visit is the only common Tier 1 dress mistake.

Industries vary widely, and Cool Biz / Warm Biz seasons differ by company. For your first month, match what same-level colleagues wear.

Say it (B): on day one, ask general affairs or HR — fukusō wa doko made kuzushite ii desu ka (服装はどこまで崩していいですか). It’s a normal, welcomed question.

Gift-giving

Stakes: Tier 3 for everyday gifts; Tier 2 for seasonal client gifts.

Small gifts grease relationships: a regional omiyage (お土産) after a trip, ochūgen (お中元, midsummer) and oseibo (お歳暮, year-end) for important clients. Present a gift with both hands, and never make it the most expensive thing in the room — sincerity outranks price.

Say it (C): presenting — honno kimochi desu ga, minasama de meshiagatte kudasai (ほんの気持ちですが、皆様で召し上がってください). The old tsumaranai mono desu ga (“it’s a trivial thing”) now sounds dated; honno kimochi desu ga (“just a small token”) is the modern default. Receiving — go-teinei ni arigatō gozaimasu (ご丁寧にありがとうございます).

Common slip: opening a gift immediately in front of the giver without asking. A quick akete mo yoroshii deshō ka (開けてもよろしいでしょうか) settles it.

Business dining and after-work

Stakes: Tier 3 for table manners; Tier 2 for skipping every nomikai.

The nomikai (飲み会) is off-the-clock but observed as part of how you operate. Five habits cover it: offer the kamiza to the guest, ask seniors what they’d like first, hold your glass slightly below theirs when clinking, pour for others before yourself, and let the junior settle the bill logistics while the senior pays.

Say it (B/C): before eating — itadakimasu (いただきます); after — gochisōsama deshita (ごちそうさまでした). Pouring for a senior — o-tsugi itashimasu (お注ぎいたします). If you don’t drink — o-sake wa hikaete orimasu, sofuto-dorinku de (お酒は控えております、ソフトドリンクで). Leaving after the first round — osaki ni shitsurei shimasu (お先に失礼します).

Common slip: pouring your own glass, or ordering the single priciest item. Deep dive → the after-work section of Japanese Business Phrases: 30 Scenarios at 3 Politeness Levels.

Remote and digital etiquette

Stakes: Tier 2. Etiquette didn’t disappear with remote work; it changed shape.

• Camera on for client meetings, first-time intros, and small calls; off is fine for large recurring internal meetings and bad-connection days
• Mute — unmute about half a second before you start so your first words aren’t clipped, and re-mute when you finish
• Slack/Teams ping ladder — reply in-thread (no alert) → @person (that person only) → @here (everyone online) → @channel (everyone, including offline). Pick the lowest level that does the job; keep @channel to once a week or less
• Emoji — reaction emojis are safe internally; keep them out of client-facing messages

Say it (C): turning the camera off — kamera o kirasete itadakimasu, go-ryōshō kudasai (カメラを切らせていただきます、ご了承ください). Before recording — nen no tame, rokuga sasete itadaite mo yoroshii deshō ka (念のため、録画させていただいてもよろしいでしょうか). Joining a call — osewa ni natte orimasu. Onsei, todoite imasu deshō ka (お世話になっております。音声、届いていますでしょうか).

Your first 90 days

If you’d rather sort by when a ritual first matters than by which ritual, use this side view.

Commit to one column a week and you’ll have the whole map in roughly a month. For the mistake-and-recovery view of the same period, see Common Japanese Business Mistakes: What to Avoid in Your First 90 Days.

The foreigner-calibration table — what’s forgiven, what isn’t

A foreigner is genuinely cut slack on some of this and genuinely isn’t on the rest. Spend your effort on the right column.

The line is simple: anything that disrespects a specific person or risks a contract is rarely forgiven; everything cosmetic is. Most first-quarter anxiety is spent on the left column. Move it to the right.

When you slip — recovery in one line

Even a Tier 1 slip is rarely fatal if you recover well the same day. The pattern is always three parts in order: apologize → name what went wrong → say what you’ll do differently. Keep it to one or two sentences; a long explanation reads as defense.

For example, after keeping -san on your own junior in front of a client, the next-morning line is sakujitsu wa shanai-yobi de o-namae o mōshiagete shimai, taihen shitsurei itashimashita (昨日は社内呼びでお名前を申し上げてしまい、大変失礼いたしました).

For 12 ready-to-deploy recovery one-liners — one for each of the most common slips — see the Recovery Scripts section of the common mistakes guide, and for apologies specifically, How to Apologize Politely in Japanese.

Frequently asked questions

What is considered rude in Japanese business?

The mistakes that carry real weight disrespect a person or a contract: handling a business card carelessly, calling your own junior “-san” in front of a client, arriving on the dot for a client meeting, or reading an indirect “no” as a “yes” and acting on it. Most other slips — an imperfect bow, a stumble over an honorific — are filed under “new to the culture” and forgotten.

Do Japanese businesspeople bow or shake hands?

With a foreign counterpart, both. Lead with a bow; if they extend a hand, accept it. Between Japanese colleagues the bow does the work. The angle matters more than the handshake: 15° eshaku for a passing hello, 30° keirei for a standard greeting, 45° saikeirei for a deep apology or important first meeting.

How do you exchange business cards in Japan?

Offer and receive the meishi with both hands, state your name and company as you offer, and say chōdai itashimasu as you receive. Read the card briefly rather than pocketing it, and keep it on the table to your upper-left during a seated meeting. Start with the highest-ranking person.

Do I have to attend after-work drinks (nomikai)?

Less than you used to, and remote-first companies expect less of it. But the nomikai is read as part of relationship-building, so one or two a month carries real signal. The first round is enough — you can leave before the second with a quick osaki ni shitsurei shimasu.

Does Japanese business etiquette still apply on Zoom and Teams?

Yes, remote-shaped. Cameras on for client and first-time calls, a verbal preamble before recording, and one line — kamera o kirasete itadakimasu — when you turn the camera off. On Slack and Teams, the ping ladder is the new seating chart: pick the lowest level that does the job.

Read next — deep-dives by ritual

This guide is the map. When you need depth on one block, follow the route.

Start with the bigger picture

• Working in Japan as a Foreigner: Culture, Language, and Your First 90 Days — the orientation guide this etiquette playbook sits under

Language and keigo

• Keigo Guide: The A/B/C Framework for Workplace Japanese — the home of the A/B/C register system
• Japanese Honorifics Chart — every suffix, plus titles and seating-order address
• 10 Polite Japanese Phrases for the Office — daily office phrases

Greetings, cards, and meetings

• Japanese Business Self-Introduction Templates — chōrei, client visits, interviews
• Japanese Meeting Phrases: A 6-Phase Guide from Opening to Follow-Up — phrases that drive the meeting

Written communication

• How to Write a Japanese Business Email: 8 Steps from Subject to Signature — the composition process
• Japanese Business Email Templates — ready-to-use templates by scenario

Mistakes and recovery

• Common Japanese Business Mistakes: What to Avoid in Your First 90 Days — the same domain seen through what goes wrong
• 8 Keigo Mistakes Non-Natives Make — keigo errors sorted by tier
• How to Apologize Politely in Japanese — 8 scenarios with email templates

A phrase reference to save offline

• Japanese Business Phrases PDF: 30 Scenarios at 3 Politeness Levels — print-friendly phrase reference

A one-page PDF of the 30 essential business Japanese phrases is available on our sister project → Get the Essential 30 PDF on Gumroad (free, no signup). Keep it next to this guide and you’ll have the what to do and the what to say on a single sheet.