Business Japanese 101: The Phrases Your Textbook Doesn’t Teach

You have passed JLPT N3. Maybe N2. You can order ramen, give directions, and hold a conversation about the weather. Then you walk into a Japanese office on your first day and realize: nobody talks like your textbook.

With over 2.6 million foreign workers now employed in Japan — a record high as of 2025 — more professionals than ever are navigating Japanese workplaces. And the gap between textbook Japanese and office Japanese catches nearly everyone off guard.

At Tabiji Academy, our founder Mie Suzuki spent years working in corporate Tokyo before becoming an instructor. The phrases in this article come straight from that experience — the language that Japanese professionals actually use every day, but that rarely appears in standard curricula.

The Three Levels of Keigo: A Quick Orientation

Before we get to specific phrases, you need to understand the system behind them. Japanese honorific language — 敬語 (keigo) — “polite language” — operates on three levels:

• 丁寧語 (teineigo) — “polite language”: The です/ます form you already know. Your baseline for any professional interaction.
• 尊敬語 (sonkeigo) — “respectful language”: Used to elevate the actions of others — your boss, a client, a senior colleague. You never use this about yourself.
• 謙譲語 (kenjougo) — “humble language”: Used to lower your own actions, thereby showing respect to the listener. This is where most foreigners trip up.

The critical rule: sonkeigo goes up (about others), kenjougo goes down (about yourself). Mixing them up — using respectful language about your own actions — is one of the most common and noticeable mistakes in a Japanese office.

Phrases You Will Hear (and Use) Every Single Day

1. お疲れ様です (otsukaresama desu) — “Thank you for your hard work”

This is arguably the most-used phrase in any Japanese workplace, and no textbook gives it the weight it deserves. It functions as a greeting, a farewell, a thank-you, and a general acknowledgment of shared effort — all in one.

Use it when:

• You pass a colleague in the hallway (instead of “hello”)
• A coworker finishes a presentation
• Someone hands you a completed document
• You end a phone call with a colleague

When leaving the office before others, you say お先に失礼します (osaki ni shitsurei shimasu) — “Excuse me for leaving before you.” Your remaining colleagues respond with お疲れ様でした (otsukaresama deshita) — the past tense, acknowledging your day is done. You reply with the same phrase back. It is a small ritual, but skipping it stands out.

2. よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) — “I’m counting on you” / “Please treat this favorably”

Another phrase that defies direct translation. Textbooks introduce it as “nice to meet you,” but in an office, it has a dozen more uses:

• After a self-introduction: Signals “I look forward to working with you”
• At the end of a request: Means “Thank you in advance for handling this”
• Closing an email: Functions as a polite sign-off
• Starting a meeting: Sets a cooperative tone
• Handing off a task: Implies “I trust you with this”

The more formal version — 何卒よろしくお願いいたします (nanitozo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu) — is used in written communication and with clients. The いたします ending is kenjougo, humbling your own request.

For a hands-on way to internalize formal Japanese, consider a Zen calligraphy session in Kyoto where every brush stroke reinforces the discipline behind keigo and business etiquette.

3. お世話になっております (osewa ni natte orimasu) — “Thank you for your continued support”

This is the standard opening line for business emails and phone calls with external contacts. It has no real English equivalent — it acknowledges an ongoing professional relationship.

Variations you should know:

• いつもお世話になっております (itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu) — Adds “always,” for established relationships
• お世話になります (osewa ni narimasu) — Future tense, used when contacting someone for the first time or starting a new relationship

Note: You do not use this phrase with internal colleagues. It is reserved for people outside your organization — clients, vendors, partners.

Meeting Survival Phrases

Japanese meetings follow a more structured protocol than most Western professionals expect. Here are the phrases that keep you on solid ground:

Starting a Meeting

• 本日はお忙しいところ、お集まりいただきありがとうございます (honjitsu wa oisogashii tokoro, oatsumari itadaki arigatou gozaimasu) — “Thank you for gathering despite your busy schedules today.” A standard opener if you are leading.
• それでは始めさせていただきます (sore dewa hajimesasete itadakimasu) — “Allow me to begin.” The させていただく structure is kenjougo — you are humbly requesting permission to start.

During Discussion

• おっしゃる通りです (ossharu toori desu) — “It is exactly as you say.” おっしゃる is the sonkeigo form of 言う (iu, “to say”). This phrase agrees with a superior’s point respectfully.
• 確認させていただきます (kakunin sasete itadakimasu) — “Allow me to confirm.” Useful when you need to check something without appearing uncertain.
• 少々お時間いただけますか (shoushou ojikan itadakemasu ka) — “May I have a moment of your time?” いただく is the kenjougo form of もらう (morau, “to receive”).

Closing a Meeting

• 本日はありがとうございました (honjitsu wa arigatou gozaimashita) — “Thank you for today.” Simple, but essential.
• 引き続きよろしくお願いいたします (hikitsuzuki yoroshiku onegai itashimasu) — “I look forward to our continued cooperation.” A standard closer for ongoing projects.

The Keigo Verb Swaps Your Textbook Glossed Over

In business settings, certain common verbs get replaced entirely. This is where many learners freeze — they know the casual and polite forms, but the keigo equivalents are completely different words:

• 行く (iku, “to go”) → Sonkeigo: いらっしゃる (irassharu) / Kenjougo: 参る (mairu)
• 言う (iu, “to say”) → Sonkeigo: おっしゃる (ossharu) / Kenjougo: 申す (mousu)
• 食べる (taberu, “to eat”) → Sonkeigo: 召し上がる (meshiagaru) / Kenjougo: いただく (itadaku)
• する (suru, “to do”) → Sonkeigo: なさる (nasaru) / Kenjougo: いたす (itasu)
• 見る (miru, “to see”) → Sonkeigo: ご覧になる (goran ni naru) / Kenjougo: 拝見する (haiken suru)
• 知る (shiru, “to know”) → Sonkeigo: ご存知 (gozonji) / Kenjougo: 存じる (zonjiru)

These are not optional embellishments. In a client meeting, saying 社長が言いました (shachou ga iimashita — “the president said”) instead of 社長がおっしゃいました (shachou ga osshaimashita) would be a noticeable misstep.

Phone Phrases That Sound Natural

Phone calls in Japanese offices follow a near-scripted pattern. Master these and you will sound composed even when your nerves say otherwise:

• お電話ありがとうございます。[会社名]の[名前]でございます — “Thank you for calling. This is [name] from [company].” でございます is the most formal form of です.
• 少々お待ちくださいませ (shoushou omachi kudasaimase) — “Please wait a moment.” Used when transferring a call.
• 申し訳ございませんが、ただいま席を外しております (moushiwake gozaimasen ga, tadaima seki wo hazushite orimasu) — “I’m sorry, [person] is away from their desk at the moment.”
• 折り返しお電話いたします (orikaeshi odenwa itashimasu) — “I will return the call.” 折り返し means “to call back.”

The Mindset Behind the Language

Here is something no phrase list can fully capture: business Japanese is not just about vocabulary. It is about reading the room — understanding 空気を読む (kuuki wo yomu) — “reading the air.” Knowing when to use which level of keigo requires paying attention to hierarchy, context, and relationship dynamics in real time.

This is exactly why working with a native Japanese instructor matters. Apps can drill you on verb conjugations, but they cannot tell you that your kenjougo was technically correct yet slightly too formal for a casual Friday check-in with your team lead.

At Tabiji Academy, our lessons integrate these real-world scenarios into every session. Mie brings her corporate Tokyo experience directly into the classroom, walking students through the situations where textbook answers fall short.

Your Next Step

If you are preparing for work in Japan — or already there and feeling the gap between your textbook and your office — start with the phrases above. Practice them out loud. Get the rhythm into your muscle memory.

Then, when you are ready to go deeper, consider working with an instructor who has actually used these phrases in boardrooms, not just read about them in grammar guides. That is the difference between knowing business Japanese and using it with confidence.