Navigating Japanese Etiquette: Must-Know for Language Learners

Japanese cultural etiquette every learner should know emphasizes respect, politeness, and social harmony deeply rooted in tradition and modern social practices. Here are key points every learner should know:

Greetings and Politeness

• Bowing is the standard greeting reflecting respect and social hierarchy.
• Use polite language (keigo) appropriate to different social contexts, showing humility and respect.
• Greetings (aisatsu) are essential daily practices for establishing good relationships.

Social Behavior and Respect

• Avoid direct confrontation or expressing strong opinions publicly to maintain harmony.
• Silence and attentiveness in conversations signify politeness and respect.
• Respect for hierarchy and social roles is key, especially in business and formal settings.

Body Language and Gestures

• Non-verbal communication like bowing, nodding, and hand gestures are culturally significant.
• Avoid pointing directly or using overly expressive gestures.
• When giving or receiving something, use both hands as a sign of respect.

Gift Giving and Receiving

• Present gifts with both hands and modesty.
• It is customary to refuse a gift once or twice before accepting to show humility.

Dining Etiquette

• Do not stick chopsticks upright into a bowl of rice as it resembles a funeral ritual.
• Say “itadakimasu” before eating and “gochisousama” after finishing a meal to express gratitude.

Personal Space and Cleanliness

• Remove shoes before entering a home or some traditional establishments.
• Personal cleanliness and grooming are highly valued culturally.

Communication Style

• Indirect communication, avoiding bluntness or saying “no” directly, is common.
• Apologies and expressions of humility are used often to maintain social harmony.

These points reflect the core cultural norms emphasizing respect, humility, and group harmony that are essential for learners to understand living or interacting in Japan. ^{1, 2, 3, 4}

References

• Analysis of Japanese Cultural Patterns —Based on Hofstede’s Value Dimensions and Minkov’s Cultural Dimensions

• Cultural Implications Through Hand Gesture in Japanese and Balinese Communities

• “Aisatsu” in Japanese Language Education

• Japanese Keigo: ‘Situational Context Analysis’ and ‘Politeness Strategies’ in Violet Evergarden Anime

• SPEECH ETIQUETTE IN THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF FOREIGN STUDENTS (REACTIVE CULTURAL GROUP)

• The Influence of Confucian Cultural Values on the Social Roles of Contemporary Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Women

• The Social Environment: Business Etiquette and Cultural Sensitivity

• From Martial Arts to Self-Cultivation: The Integration of Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism and Karate Etiquette and Ethics

• The Meaning of Indonesian Culture in the Vocabulary of Indonesian Language Textbooks for Japanese Speakers

• An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Intercultural Communication Competence Development: A Comparative Study of English and Japanese

• Japanese Manners Through the Eyes of a Late-Renaissance Jesuit: Alessandro Valignano’s Advertimentos of 1583

• DOES THE CATEGORY OF PERSON EXIST IN JAPANESE?

• A corpus-assisted analysis of indexical signs for (im)politeness in Japanese apology-like behaviour

• The Role of Parental Input in the Early Acquisition of Japanese Politeness Distinctions

• Japanese Dichotomies and the Individual Identity in Haruki Murakami’s Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki

• A Kinetic Approach to Understanding Communication and Context in Japanese

• SELF INTRODUCING AND WORK ETHICS IN JAPANESE COMPANIES

• The school education, ritual customs, and reciprocity associated with self-regulating hand hygiene practices during COVID-19 in Japan

• A Study of Linguistic Politeness in Japanese

• Help-Seeking and Social Support in Japanese Sojourners