はじめまして

• 読み: はじめまして
• ローマ字: hajimemashite
• 発音: /ha.dʑi.me.ma.ɕi.te/

意味

The standard self-introduction phrase meaning 'nice to meet you' — now also used humorously online when 'rediscovering' something.

はじめまして is the definitive first-meeting phrase in Japanese, used universally in introductions from business to casual. In its traditional use, it is always paired with a name and followed by よろしくお願いします. However, internet culture has added a humorous layer: people say はじめまして to things they are encountering for the first time (a new food, a concept, a meme) or sarcastically when reuniting with something they forgot about.

例文

1. はじめまして、佐藤と申します。よろしくお願いします。
2. この味はじめまして…何これ美味しすぎない？
3. はじめまして！同じ趣味の人に会えて嬉しいです。

使い方ガイド

場面: introductions, first meetings, online (humorous), business

トーン: polite, fresh, standard

正しい言い方

• はじめまして、田中です。よろしくお願いします (Nice to meet you, I'm Tanaka. Pleased to make your acquaintance)
• この料理はじめましてだけど、めっちゃ美味しい (First time trying this dish, and it's so good)

避ける言い方

• 以前会ったことがある人に「はじめまして」は失礼 — 覚えていないことがバレる (Saying はじめまして to someone you've met before is rude — it reveals you don't remember them)

よくある間違い

• Using はじめまして when you have already met someone — this is a serious social faux pas
• Forgetting to follow up with your name and よろしくお願いします — はじめまして alone is incomplete

起源と歴史

From 初めて (for the first time) + まして (polite connective). Literally 'it is the first time.' One of the oldest and most essential set phrases in Japanese social interaction, with recent humorous extensions in internet culture.

文化的背景

時代: Traditional, universally current (internet humor from 2010s)

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used across all of Japan. The most important first-meeting phrase. The humorous internet usage adds a modern layer to a timeless expression.