How to start a formal phone call in Japanese

How to start a formal phone call in Japanese

A formal phone call in Japanese usually opens with a polite greeting, a self-introduction, and a brief check that the other person is available to talk. The safest pattern is: greet, identify yourself, apologize for interrupting, and ask whether it is a good time to speak.

Japanese phone etiquette is especially careful at the start because the opening lines establish the relationship for the entire call. In business and other formal settings, humble language (謙譲語, kenjougo) and respectful language (尊敬語, sonkeigo) are used to signal professionalism and consideration. ^{2, 6}

The standard opening sequence

A natural formal opening often follows this order:

1. Greeting
2. Self-introduction
3. Polite apology for calling
4. Check whether the person can talk

A common complete opening sounds like this:

もしもし、株式会社〇〇の田中と申します。お忙しいところ失礼いたします。今、お時間よろしいでしょうか。

A plain-English gloss is: “Hello, this is Tanaka from Company XX. Sorry to bother you when you are busy. Do you have a moment now?”

The exact wording changes depending on whether the call is internal, external, business-related, or directed to someone with higher status, but the structure stays remarkably consistent.

Useful phrases for the opening

1) Greeting

For phone calls, もしもし is the most common way to answer or begin a call. It is normal on the telephone, but it is not used in face-to-face conversation. In formal business calls, it is often followed immediately by a self-introduction.

Time-of-day greetings can also appear, especially after the first exchange:

• おはようございます — Good morning
• こんにちは — Good afternoon / Hello
• こんばんは — Good evening

These greetings are polite, but on the phone they are usually secondary to the self-introduction.

2) Self-introduction

A formal introduction often uses と申します, the humble equivalent of “I am” or “My name is.” This sounds more polite than です in business contexts.

Examples:

• 田中と申します。 — I’m Tanaka.
• 株式会社〇〇の田中と申します。 — I’m Tanaka from Company XX.
• 営業部の田中と申します。 — I’m Tanaka from the Sales Department.

If the organization matters, the company name or department is usually stated before the personal name.

3) Polite apology for interrupting

A very common phrase is:

• お忙しいところ失礼いたします。 — Sorry to bother you when you are busy.

This is one of the most useful formal phone expressions in Japanese because it acknowledges the other person’s time. A shorter version, 失礼いたします, is also widely used and can sound more neutral.

4) Asking if it is a good time

A standard check is:

• 今、お時間よろしいでしょうか。 — Do you have time now?
• 少しお時間をいただけますでしょうか。 — May I have a little of your time?

These phrases are important because Japanese business etiquette often avoids assuming the other person is immediately available, even if the call is expected.

Example openings by situation

Business call to a company

もしもし、株式会社〇〇の田中と申します。お忙しいところ失礼いたします。営業部の佐藤様はいらっしゃいますでしょうか。

This version is useful when asking for a specific person. The phrase いらっしゃいますでしょうか is a very polite way to ask whether someone is available or present.

Call to someone already known

お世話になっております。田中と申します。今、お時間よろしいでしょうか。

お世話になっております is extremely common in Japanese business communication. It works as a polite opening with people already connected through work, clients, or regular contact.

Internal company call

お疲れさまです。営業部の田中です。少しよろしいでしょうか。

お疲れさまです is common inside companies and among colleagues. It is polite, but less formal than the expressions used with customers or external partners.

Pronunciation notes that matter on the phone

Japanese phone openings are often easier to understand when spoken slowly and with clear pauses between phrases. The most important words to pronounce cleanly are the self-introduction and the request for time.

A few practical points:

• と申します is pronounced roughly to moushimasu; the sh sound should be clear.
• 失礼いたします is often spoken as a smooth, fairly fast phrase, but it should still be distinct enough to hear.
• お時間よろしいでしょうか can be broken into smaller chunks: o-jikan / yoroshii / deshou ka.

Because many formal calls involve names, companies, and departments, clarity matters more than speed. In spoken Japanese, active conversation practice is especially useful here because phone openings depend on timing, rhythm, and set responses rather than grammar alone.

Common mistakes

Using casual language too early

Starting with やあ, どうも, or other casual greetings can sound too relaxed in a formal call. Even if the conversation later becomes friendly, the opening should stay polite.

Skipping the self-introduction

In English, callers often begin by jumping straight to the reason for the call. In Japanese, a formal call usually starts with identification first. Calling without saying who one is can sound abrupt.

Forgetting the apology phrase

A direct 今いいですか is understandable, but in formal settings it is usually too blunt. お忙しいところ失礼いたします softens the interruption and matches business etiquette better.

Overusing very formal language with close colleagues

In some workplaces, overly stiff language can sound distant. For colleagues inside the same company, お疲れさまです and a brief self-introduction are often enough.

A simple formula to remember

A reliable formal opening can be reduced to this pattern:

もしもし + name/company + 失礼いたします + time check

Example:

もしもし、田中と申します。失礼いたします。今、お時間よろしいでしょうか。

That structure is short, respectful, and appropriate for many business phone calls.

Quick reference phrases

• もしもし — Hello on the phone
• 〜と申します — I am / My name is
• お忙しいところ失礼いたします — Sorry to bother you when you are busy
• 今、お時間よろしいでしょうか — Do you have time now?
• 少しお時間をいただけますでしょうか — May I have a little of your time?
• お世話になっております — Thank you for your continued support / relationship
• お疲れさまです — Thanks for your hard work

FAQ

Is もしもし polite enough for formal calls?

Yes. もしもし is standard on the phone and is not rude by itself. In formal calls, it is usually followed immediately by a polite self-introduction and apology.

Is こんにちは used on the phone?

It can be used, but もしもし is more typical at the start of a call. こんにちは is more natural in face-to-face conversation and can appear later in a call if the tone is friendly.

What is the safest all-purpose opening?

A very safe opening is:

もしもし、〇〇の△△と申します。お忙しいところ失礼いたします。今、お時間よろしいでしょうか。

It works in many formal situations because it combines identification, politeness, and a time check.

References

• J.C. Herz (edited by Michael Pietsch), Joystick Nation: How Video Games Ate Our Quarters, Stole Our Hearts, and Rewired Our Minds [Book Review]

• Discourse Structure Analysis of Making Request in Japanese Conversation

• CALLS: Japanese Empathetic Dialogue Speech Corpus of Complaint Handling and Attentive Listening in Customer Center

• Request Expressions in Japanese Language for Educational Purpose

• Slang Abbreviation in Japanese and Indonesian Written Language: Origins, Process, Similarities, and Differences

• “Aisatsu” in Japanese Language Education

• The Communication Strategy Used by Japanese Learner at the Basic Level

• Mistakes in Using Keigo on Japanese Busines Correspondence Subject

• First grammatical encoding of Japanese Politeness (17th century)

• Controlling Japanese Honorifics in English-to-Japanese Neural Machine Translation

• A Kinetic Approach to Understanding Communication and Context in Japanese

• J-UniMorph: Japanese Morphological Annotation through the Universal Feature Schema