Table of contents
Open Table of contents
- Who this reference is for
- How to read this page (A/B/C legend in 30 seconds)
- Scenario quick-reference — 10 situations × A/B/C
- 1. Greeting (arrival, hallway, entering a room)
- 2. Self-introduction and first encounters
- 3. Saying thank you
- 4. Apologizing (light vs serious)
- 5. Making a request
- 6. Declining or saying no
- 7. Acknowledging an instruction
- 8. Asking and confirming
- 9. Stepping out / leaving briefly
- 10. Closing a call, meeting, or email
- Top 30 phrases by frequency — what you’ll hit, in order
- Cushion phrases — the politeness softeners
- Channel-specific phrases — email, phone, meeting
- 5 phrase-level mistakes non-natives make most
- Save this page as a PDF
- Want to learn more?
- Frequently asked questions
Who this reference is for
- Foreign professionals 0–3 months into a Japanese company, freezing daily on what to say to bosses, peers, and clients
- JLPT N3–N2 learners who know keigo exists but don’t have a phrase template they can paste under pressure
- Anyone who’s already read the keigo guide and wants the scenario phrase library next to the verb cheat sheet
- Readers who want a saveable PDF: jump to Save this page as a PDF — Cmd+P does it cleanly today, and a mobile-vertical official PDF ships in Phase 2
This is a reference, not a read. Skip to whichever scenario is biting you right now.
How to read this page (A/B/C legend in 30 seconds)
At Real-World Japanese, we treat keigo as three rephrasings of the same intent: A (casual), B (neutral-polite), and C (formal). Every row in this article is labelled so you can see at a glance which level fits.
| Level | Politeness | Use with | Feel |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Casual | Peers, close juniors, family | Frank, often dropping です/ます |
| B | Neutral-polite | Bosses, other departments, first-time coworkers | Polite, not stiff |
| C | Formal | Clients, executives, apologies, official writing | Maximum deference, formal register |
When in doubt, pick B. B is the safe default for ~80% of workplace situations. C with a peer creates strange distance; A with a client is a non-starter.
Uchi (inside) and soto (outside)
A second axis sits underneath A/B/C: is this person uchi (内, inside your group) or soto (外, outside)? The rough rule: B inside, C outside. The same person can flip — your boss is soto in the office (lean toward C), but becomes uchi when you talk about them to a client (lean toward humble kenjougo). The full explanation lives in the keigo guide.
How the mistake notes work
Every scenario table is followed by a “watch out” callout. The wrong form sits next to the right form, with a one-line reason. You won’t have to flip to a separate “common errors” article — the trap is right there with the phrase.
Scenario quick-reference — 10 situations × A/B/C
The 10 moments you hit most days at work, with copy-paste-ready phrases at all three levels. Inside your company → B; with anyone external → C is the default.
1. Greeting (arrival, hallway, entering a room)
| Level | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| A | おはよー / おっす | ohayō / ossu |
| B | おはようございます。〇〇です。 | ohayō gozaimasu. [Your Name] desu. |
| C | おはようございます。本日もよろしくお願いいたします。 | ohayō gozaimasu. honjitsu mo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu. |
Watch out: A-level greetings work with a small group of close peers. Default to B for the first month, then drop down once you’ve seen them do it first. Otsukaresama is for when you part ways or pass each other in the hallway, never as a morning greeting.
2. Self-introduction and first encounters
| Level | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| A | 〇〇（会社名）の〇〇です、よろしく〜 | [Company] no [Your Name] desu, yoroshiku |
| B | 〇〇（会社名）の〇〇と申します。よろしくお願いします。 | [Company] no [Your Name] to mōshimasu. yoroshiku onegai shimasu. |
| C | 〇〇株式会社の〇〇でございます。本日はお時間をいただきありがとうございます。よろしくお願い申し上げます。 | [Company] kabushikigaisha no [Your Name] de gozaimasu. honjitsu wa o-jikan wo itadaki arigatō gozaimasu. yoroshiku onegai mōshiagemasu. |
Watch out: At B-level, “[Name] to mōshimasu” beats “[Name] desu” — mōshimasu is the humble verb, the correct way to lower yourself when introducing yourself. For deeper coverage, see Japanese self-introduction templates for business.
3. Saying thank you
| Level | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| A | ありがとう / サンキュ | arigatō / sankyu |
| B | ありがとうございます。助かりました。 | arigatō gozaimasu. tasukarimashita. |
| C | ご丁寧にありがとうございます。重ねてお礼申し上げます。 | go-teinei ni arigatō gozaimasu. kasanete o-rei mōshiagemasu. |
Watch out: “Go-kurō-sama desu” is top-down only — supervisors say it to subordinates, never the reverse. Use “otsukare-sama desu” with seniors and peers. Native juniors get this wrong too; senior listeners notice.
4. Apologizing (light vs serious)
A light apology (a typo, running a few minutes late) is different from a serious one (a missed deliverable, a data error to a client).
| Level | Light apology | Serious apology |
|---|---|---|
| A | ごめん / ごめんね | (No A-level. Serious apologies don’t have a casual register.) |
| B | すみません、〇〇が遅れています。 | 大変申し訳ありません。〇〇の件、私の確認不足でした。 |
| C | 申し訳ございません。〇〇の件、改めて確認のうえご連絡いたします。 | この度は多大なるご迷惑をおかけし、誠に申し訳ございません。原因と再発防止策を社内で確認のうえ、本日中に改めてご連絡いたします。 |
Watch out: When the issue is serious, “sumimasen” alone reads as too light. Always shift to C for client-impacting problems. The Japanese business norm is to ship “apology + cause + preventive measure + next action” as one message — leaving any of these out is what gets escalated, not the original mistake.
5. Making a request
| Level | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| A | これお願い | kore onegai |
| B | お忙しいところすみません、こちらお願いできますか？ | o-isogashii tokoro sumimasen, kochira onegai dekimasu ka? |
| C | お手数をおかけしますが、こちらの件、ご対応いただけますでしょうか。何卒よろしくお願い申し上げます。 | otesū wo o-kake shimasu ga, kochira no ken, go-taiō itadakemasu deshō ka. nanitozo yoroshiku onegai mōshiagemasu. |
Watch out: “O-negai sasete itadakimasu” is unnecessary sasete itadaku — you don’t need permission to make a request. Plain “o-negai itashimasu” is enough.
6. Declining or saying no
| Level | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| A | ごめん、それは無理 | gomen, sore wa muri |
| B | すみません、今日は難しいです。明日以降であれば対応できます。 | sumimasen, kyō wa muzukashii desu. ashita ikō de areba taiō dekimasu. |
| C | 大変恐れ入りますが、こちらの件は今回お受けすることが難しい状況でございます。何卒ご了承いただけますと幸いです。 | taihen osore irimasu ga, kochira no ken wa konkai o-uke suru koto ga muzukashii jōkyō de gozaimasu. nanitozo go-ryōshō itadakemasu to saiwai desu. |
Watch out: Japanese business communication rarely uses a flat “no.” “Muzukashii” (“difficult”), “tsugō ga tsukazu” (“circumstances don’t align”), and “o-uke dekikaneru” (“we cannot accept”) are the real ways to refuse. “Dame desu” / “dekimasen” land too hard with anyone outside your immediate team.
7. Acknowledging an instruction
| Level | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| A | りょうかい / OK | ryōkai / OK |
| B | 承知しました。〇〇までに対応します。 | shōchi shimashita. [deadline] made ni taiō shimasu. |
| C | 承知いたしました。〇〇までに対応のうえ、改めてご連絡申し上げます。 | shōchi itashimashita. [deadline] made ni taiō no ue, aratamete go-renraku mōshiagemasu. |
Watch out: ⚠️ “Ryōkai shimashita” is fine inside your team but lands oddly with clients or executives. Switch to “shōchi itashimashita” or “kashikomarimashita” for anything external. This is the single most common phrase non-natives get corrected on — and because it’s in writing, the correction tends to stick.
8. Asking and confirming
| Level | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| A | これってどういうこと？ | kore tte dō iu koto? |
| B | すみません、こちらの点、確認させてください。 | sumimasen, kochira no ten, kakunin sasete kudasai. |
| C | 恐れ入ります。1点確認させていただきたいのですが、〇〇についてはどのように対応すればよろしいでしょうか。 | osore irimasu. itten kakunin sasete itadakitai no desu ga, [topic] ni tsuite wa dono yō ni taiō sureba yoroshii deshō ka. |
Watch out: “~sasete kudasai” (asking permission to do something yourself) is the most reusable polite frame in Japanese workplace English. B-level for internal; for external email, upgrade to “~sasete itadakemasu deshō ka.”
9. Stepping out / leaving briefly
| Level | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| A | ちょっと抜けるね | chotto nukeru ne |
| B | 少し席を外します。15分ほどで戻ります。 | sukoshi seki wo hazushimasu. jūgo-fun hodo de modorimasu. |
| C | 失礼いたします。少々席を外させていただきます。〇〇分後には戻りますので、よろしくお願いいたします。 | shitsurei itashimasu. shōshō seki wo hazusasete itadakimasu. [N]-fun go ni wa modorimasu node, yoroshiku onegai itashimasu. |
Watch out: With external stakeholders in the room, always C. At a client site, “hazushite imasu” sounds too casual — the proper humble form is “hazushite orimasu.” Always tell people when you’ll be back; that’s the actual professional move, not the politeness level.
10. Closing a call, meeting, or email
| Level | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|---|---|
| A | じゃあ、また！ | jā, mata! |
| B | それでは、失礼します。 | soredewa, shitsurei shimasu. |
| C | お忙しいところお時間をいただきありがとうございました。引き続きよろしくお願い申し上げます。失礼いたします。 | o-isogashii tokoro o-jikan wo itadaki arigatō gozaimashita. hikitsuzuki yoroshiku onegai mōshiagemasu. shitsurei itashimasu. |
Watch out: Hanging up a phone or leaving a Zoom call without “shitsurei shimasu” / “shitsurei itashimasu” sounds abrupt to native speakers. Train yourself to end every call with this phrase — it’s the verbal equivalent of saying “bye” instead of dropping silently.
Top 30 phrases by frequency — what you’ll hit, in order
Phrases you’ll meet at least once a day at a Japanese company, ordered by week-1 onwards exposure. Top 1–10 = day-one frequency, Top 11–20 = the second-week wall, Top 21–30 = email closers and softeners that settle in by month 3.
| Rank | Phrase | Romaji | A/B/C | Typical scenario | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | お疲れ様です | otsukaresama desu | B | Hallway, end of day, internal email opener | Pointing “go-kurō-sama” up the chain (it’s top-down only) |
| 2 | お世話になっております | osewa ni natte orimasu | C | External email opener, phone opener | Using it on internal colleagues — sounds passive-aggressive |
| 3 | よろしくお願いいたします | yoroshiku onegai itashimasu | C | Email sign-off, end of any request | ”O-negai sasete itadakimasu” is unnecessary |
| 4 | 承知いたしました | shōchi itashimashita | C | Acknowledging instructions externally | Using “ryōkai shimashita” with clients |
| 5 | 失礼いたします | shitsurei itashimasu | C | Leaving a room, ending a call | Hanging up without it |
| 6 | おはようございます | ohayō gozaimasu | B | Morning greeting | Using it after midday |
| 7 | ありがとうございます | arigatō gozaimasu | B | Thank you, all situations | Saying only “sumimasen” when “thanks” is what’s needed |
| 8 | 申し訳ございません | mōshiwake gozaimasen | C | Serious apology | Using C-level for a typo (overshoots) |
| 9 | 恐れ入りますが | osore irimasu ga | C | Cushion before a request, question, or refusal | Using it standalone — it needs a follow-up clause |
| 10 | 確認させてください | kakunin sasete kudasai | B | Asking to verify a point | Too casual for external email — upgrade to “~sasete itadakemasu deshō ka” |
| 11 | お手数をおかけしますが | otesū wo o-kake shimasu ga | C | Cushion before a request | ”Otesū o-kake shimasu ga” (without wo) is a softer variant |
| 12 | かしこまりました | kashikomarimashita | C | Acknowledging — service / external register | Using it with internal peers (overshoots) |
| 13 | お忙しいところ | o-isogashii tokoro | B–C | Cushion for asking time or making a request | Standalone use; needs a follow-up |
| 14 | お時間をいただき | o-jikan wo itadaki | C | Meeting / call openers and closers | Interchangeable with “o-jikan wo chōdai shi” |
| 15 | 引き続きよろしくお願いします | hikitsuzuki yoroshiku onegai shimasu | B–C | Closing on continuing work | Using it for a one-off ask sounds odd |
| 16 | お疲れ様でした | otsukaresama deshita | B | End-of-day farewell | Using it as a morning greeting |
| 17 | 何卒よろしくお願い申し上げます | nanitozo yoroshiku onegai mōshiagemasu | C | Important request, formal sign-off | Using it in casual Slack DMs (overshoots) |
| 18 | お電話ありがとうございます | o-denwa arigatō gozaimasu | C | Receiving a call | ”O-denwa itadaki arigatō gozaimasu” is even more polite |
| 19 | 〇〇でございます | [Your Name] de gozaimasu | C | Self-introduction on phone or first meeting | ”[Name] desu” is B; “[Name] de gozaimasu” is C |
| 20 | 大変お世話になっております | taihen osewa ni natte orimasu | C | Email opener for important clients | Awkward in a first-contact email — use “hajimete go-renraku itashimasu” instead |
| 21 | 申し伝えます | mōshitsutaemasu | C | Taking a phone message | ”Tsutaete okimasu” is B; “mōshitsutaemasu” is the C form |
| 22 | 拝見しました | haiken shimashita | C | ”I’ve seen / read it” | Pointing “haiken kudasai” at the listener — haiken is humble, can’t be ordered to others |
| 23 | ご検討のほどよろしくお願いいたします | go-kentō no hodo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu | C | Closing a proposal email | ”Go-kentō kudasaimase” is a near-synonym |
| 24 | 差し支えなければ | sashitsukae nakereba | C | Soft cushion for a question or request | ”Moshi yoroshikereba” is the slightly softer counterpart |
| 25 | 早速のご返信ありがとうございます | sassoku no go-henshin arigatō gozaimasu | C | Thanks for a quick reply | A reply after several days isn’t “sassoku” — use “go-renraku arigatō gozaimasu” instead |
| 26 | お力になれず申し訳ございません | o-chikara ni narezu mōshiwake gozaimasen | C | Soft landing on a refusal | Don’t end here — pair with an alternative or referral |
| 27 | 念のため | nen no tame | A–B | Cushion for a sanity-check question | Fine with bosses; for external readers, “osore irimasu ga” is safer |
| 28 | 取り急ぎ | toriisogi | B–C | Opener on a fast-turnaround email | ”Toriisogi go-renraku made” is the canonical closer for it |
| 29 | ご査収のほど | go-sashū no hodo | C | When sending an attachment | Near-synonymous with “go-kakunin no hodo”; some industries prefer one over the other |
| 30 | 改めてご連絡いたします | aratamete go-renraku itashimasu | C | Promising a follow-up | Pair it with a specific date — without one, it reads as deflection |
Learning order: Lock down 1–10 in week one. Pick up 11–20 over weeks 2–6. The bottom third (21–30) shows up in email tail-paragraphs and seeps in by month three. Don’t try to memorize all 30 at once — let the scenarios you live in pull them out of the table.
Cushion phrases — the politeness softeners
Place a cushion phrase in front of a request, refusal, or question, and the same sentence reads as one register more polite. Where competitor articles mention these in passing, here’s the consolidated mini-table.
| Cushion phrase | Use before | Example continuation |
|---|---|---|
| 恐れ入りますが (osore irimasu ga) | Requests, questions, refusals | ~していただけますでしょうか / ~について確認させてください |
| お手数をおかけしますが (otesū wo o-kake shimasu ga) | Requests that take effort | ~していただけますと幸いです |
| 差し支えなければ (sashitsukae nakereba) | Optional questions or requests | ~お聞かせいただけますでしょうか |
| ご多忙のところ恐縮ですが (go-tabō no tokoro kyōshuku desu ga) | Requests aimed at a busy person | お時間をいただけますでしょうか |
| 大変申し上げにくいのですが (taihen mōshiagenikui no desu ga) | Hard refusals, sensitive asks | ~の件、再度ご検討いただけませんでしょうか |
| 勝手なお願いで恐縮ですが (katte na o-negai de kyōshuku desu ga) | One-sided requests | ~していただけますと助かります |
| ご面倒をおかけしますが (go-mendō wo o-kake shimasu ga) | Onerous requests | 何卒よろしくお願いいたします |
Don’t stack: One cushion phrase per email is the sweet spot. Two or more reads as anxious or insincere — Japanese readers hear the over-cushioning instantly. One cushion at the top, one at the close, never more.
Channel-specific phrases — email, phone, meeting
Phrases that don’t fit the 10-scenario quick-reference but show up daily in specific channels.
Email essentials
For full email templates by relationship and intent, see the business email templates deep-dive.
| Situation | Phrase |
|---|---|
| First-time outreach | 突然のご連絡失礼いたします。〇〇株式会社の〇〇と申します。 |
| Continuing-thread opener | いつも大変お世話になっております。〇〇でございます。 |
| Setting up a question | 標題の件、確認させていただきたく、ご連絡差し上げました。 |
| Sending an attachment | 〇〇の資料を添付いたしました。ご査収のほどよろしくお願いいたします。 |
| Reply opener | ご連絡ありがとうございます。承知いたしました。 |
| Declining politely | 大変恐れ入りますが、今回は見送らせていただきたく存じます。 |
| Fast-turnaround sign-off | 取り急ぎご連絡まで。詳細は改めてご連絡いたします。 |
| Standard sign-off | 何卒よろしくお願い申し上げます。 |
Taking and routing a phone call
| Situation | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Answering | お電話ありがとうございます、〇〇株式会社の〇〇でございます。 |
| Confirming the caller | 〇〇でございますね、少々お待ちくださいませ。 |
| Person unavailable | 申し訳ございません、〇〇は本日不在にしております。〇〇日に出社予定です。 |
| Offering a callback | 戻り次第、こちらから折り返しご連絡させていただきます。 |
| Taking a message | お伝えしておきます／申し伝えます。 |
| You’re hanging up | お電話ありがとうございました。失礼いたします。 |
Watch out: When an external caller asks for “Tanaka-san” and Tanaka is your manager, you drop the honorific and refer to them as plain “Tanaka” externally — “Tanaka-buchō wa gaishutsu shite orimasu” is wrong; “Tanaka wa gaishutsu shite orimasu” is right. Internal honorifics (-san, -buchō) get stripped when speaking to soto.
Steering a meeting or video call
| Situation | Phrase |
|---|---|
| Opening the meeting | 本日はお時間をいただきありがとうございます。 |
| Stating your view | 私の理解では、〇〇という認識ですが、いかがでしょうか。 |
| Raising a concern | 一点、確認させていただきたいのですが、〇〇についてはどのように考えればよろしいでしょうか。 |
| Bringing the topic back | 元の論点に戻りますと、〇〇でしたので…… |
| Confirming alignment | 念のため確認ですが、〇〇という理解で相違ないでしょうか。 |
| Closing the meeting | 本日はありがとうございました。決定事項を改めてメールでお送りいたします。 |
5 phrase-level mistakes non-natives make most
Mistake 1: Ryōkai shimashita with clients
“Ryōkai” carries a faint “acknowledged from above” tone for many native listeners. Safe inside your team, risky with anyone external. Swap for “shōchi itashimashita” or “kashikomarimashita” for clients, executives, and any written reply going outside the company. Memorize this as: “ryōkai in chat, shōchi in email.”
Mistake 2: Go-kurō-sama desu aimed at your boss
“Go-kurō-sama” is top-down only — supervisors say it to subordinates, not the reverse. Use “otsukare-sama desu” with seniors and peers. This is the same trap native juniors fall into; the difference is that veteran managers expect their juniors to learn it within a month, but they tend to assume non-natives don’t know.
Mistake 3: Overusing ~sasete itadaku
“~sasete itadaku” literally means “I humbly receive your permission to do X.” It’s designed for actions that genuinely require the listener’s approval. “Kakunin sasete itadakimasu” (you let me confirm) is correct. “O-okuri sasete itadakimasu” (you let me send this email) is widely criticized as excessive — plain “o-okuri shimasu” is fine. Rule of thumb: if you don’t need permission, don’t use sasete itadaku.
Mistake 4: Hedging with “~to omoimasu” on facts
“~to omoimasu” (“I think”) is a hedge. Layered onto factual statements (“kekka wa A desu to omoimasu”), it reads as either uncertainty or shifting responsibility. Use plain declarative form for data: “~desu,” “~to natte orimasu.” Reserve “~to omoimasu” for genuine opinions and recommendations, where the hedge is honest signal.
Mistake 5: “Daijōbu desu” as a refusal
When asked “go-han taberu?” (“eating dinner?”), answering “daijōbu desu” is ambiguous between yes and no. Native speakers infer from tone, but the safer move is to commit: “o-negai shimasu” / “itadakimasu” for yes, “kekkō desu” / “mata no kikai ni” for no. “Daijōbu desu” forces the asker to clarify — and in a workplace, that’s friction.
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Want to learn more?
This phrase library is one piece of a larger workplace-Japanese cluster. Pair it with these for full coverage:
- The keigo guide — A/B/C framework, uchi-soto, and the why behind each form (the pillar)
- The keigo cheat sheet — verb-by-verb lookup, including C-Sonkeigo / C-Kenjougo splits
- Keigo examples — fully worked dialogues for interview, phone, email, and Slack
- Keigo mistakes guide — pair with this phrase pack to avoid 8 common errors per phrase
- Polite Japanese phrases for the office — the 10 spoken-out-loud phrases for your first week, in chronological office-day order
- Business email templates in Japanese — full email scaffolds for internal and external scenarios
- Japanese self-introduction templates — first-day, interview, and client-meeting jikoshōkai
- How to write a Japanese business email — the 8-step process for composing emails using phrases from this pack
Essential 30 — the full 30-scenario phrase pack
This page covers 10 scenarios free. The complete version is Polite Japanese for Work: The Essential 30 — 30 scenarios at all three A/B/C levels, with romaji and situational notes, in a portable PDF you can keep open during meetings or on your phone home screen.
→ Get The Essential 30 on Gumroad
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Is there a free Japanese business phrases PDF I can download?
Phase 1 (today) is HTML-only, but Cmd + P (Mac) or Ctrl + P (Windows) saves a clean PDF — the print stylesheet strips ads, sidebars, and chrome. Phase 2 ships a free, ungated mobile-vertical PDF (1080×1920) once seven Phase-1 articles are shipped — production starts as a batch for the keigo cluster.
What’s the difference between this article and the keigo cheat sheet?
The keigo cheat sheet is a verb dictionary: 30 verbs broken into A/B/C-Sonkeigo/C-Kenjougo columns — useful when you know the meaning but freeze on the conjugation. This phrase library is a scenario library: full sentences you paste into Slack or email, indexed by what you’re trying to do (apologize, request, decline). Use the cheat sheet for verb conjugations; use this page for ready-to-send phrases.
Why do some scenarios only have C-level rows?
Some scenarios have no realistic A or B equivalent. A serious apology has no casual register — “gomen” doesn’t work for a client-impacting incident. External-email openers similarly only have C-level versions; B reads as too casual for a first-touch external message. The A/B/C labels show the realistic range of each scenario, not a forced three-row template.
Should I memorize phrases beyond the top 30?
By month 3, the top 30 covers ~80% of your daily exposure. After that, industry-specific vocabulary (engineering teams use “rirīsu” / “refakuta”; sales teams use “hiaringu” / “kurōjingu”) layers in naturally as you encounter it. Don’t try to pre-memorize industry phrases — they stick faster when you hear them in context. Lock down the top 30 first.
Should I buy Essential 30, or is this article enough?
This article is the free 10-scenario subset. Essential 30 is the full 30-scenario pack with: a designed PDF for offline use, a copy-paste text layer, and situational notes that go deeper than the inline tables here. Use the free article if you only need a quick reference at your desk. Get Essential 30 if you want to prep before an interview, print it for a colleague, or you’ve found yourself returning to this page weekly.