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What are key Japanese phrases for starting a meeting

Japanese for Business Success: Communicate with Confidence in Meetings and Presentations: What are key Japanese phrases for starting a meeting
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What are key Japanese phrases for starting a meeting

The most useful Japanese phrases for starting a meeting are polite greetings, a brief thank-you for attendance, and a clear signal that the meeting is beginning. In business settings, the opening is usually formal, concise, and marked by expressions such as おはようございます, それでは、会議を始めたいと思います, and どうぞよろしくお願いします.

Here are some key Japanese phrases commonly used for starting a meeting:

  • おはようございます (Ohayou gozaimasu) – Good morning (formal greeting to start the day/meeting)
  • 皆さん、お集まりいただきありがとうございます (Minasan, oatsumari itadaki arigatou gozaimasu) – Thank you everyone for gathering.
  • それでは、会議を始めたいと思います (Soredewa, kaigi wo hajimetai to omoimasu) – Well then, I would like to start the meeting.
  • 本日の議題に入ります (Honjitsu no gidai ni hairimasu) – Let’s get into today’s agenda.
  • どうぞよろしくお願いします (Douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu) – Thank you in advance/Please take care of this (formal, polite phrase to start a collaborative meeting).

These expressions set a respectful and formal tone appropriate for professional Japanese meetings. The flow is usually: greet the group, thank everyone for coming, announce the start, then move into the agenda.

How these phrases are used in real meetings

Japanese meeting openings often follow a predictable sequence because structure helps everyone understand when the informal chat ends and the formal discussion begins. A manager or host may begin with おはようございます in the morning, even if the meeting is only a few minutes into the workday, because the phrase works as a standard professional greeting.

皆さん、お集まりいただきありがとうございます is a common way to acknowledge attendance. It sounds more polished than a simple 来てくれてありがとうございます, and it is appropriate when addressing a group of colleagues, clients, or project members.

それでは、会議を始めたいと思います is a natural transition into the meeting itself. The phrase is soft and polite: rather than sounding like a command, it frames the start as the speaker’s intention. In Japanese business speech, this indirect style is often preferred over a blunt “Let’s begin.”

本日の議題に入ります is useful once the meeting has officially opened. It signals a move from greeting to substance and is especially common in meetings with an agenda, such as project updates, planning sessions, or client briefings.

どうぞよろしくお願いします is one of the most versatile Japanese business phrases. At the start of a meeting, it can function as a polite closing to the opening remarks, expressing appreciation and inviting cooperation. The phrase has no perfect one-word English equivalent, because it combines courtesy, goodwill, and a request for continued support.

Pronunciation notes

The romanization in meeting phrases can hide a few important pronunciation details:

  • Ohayou gozaimasu is often pronounced with a long final vowel sound in ohayou.
  • Minasan means “everyone,” and the stress should stay even and calm rather than exaggerated.
  • Oatsumari itadaki arigatou gozaimasu is long and formal; in speech, native speakers often say it smoothly rather than pausing between every word.
  • Kaigi is “meeting,” and gidai is “agenda” or “topic for discussion.”
  • Yoroshiku is usually said as part of a fixed expression, not broken down literally in conversation.

For learners, the main goal is not perfect accent but a natural rhythm. Japanese business speech tends to sound measured and deliberate, so short pauses after the greeting and before the agenda are normal.

Practical opening templates

A simple meeting start can be built from a few reusable parts:

  1. Greeting: おはようございます
  2. Attendance thanks: 皆さん、お集まりいただきありがとうございます
  3. Meeting start: それでは、会議を始めたいと思います
  4. Agenda transition: 本日の議題に入ります
  5. Polite closing of the opening: どうぞよろしくお願いします

A compact version for a small internal meeting could sound like this:

おはようございます。皆さん、お集まりいただきありがとうございます。それでは、会議を始めたいと思います。

A slightly more formal version for clients or senior colleagues could sound like this:

おはようございます。本日はお集まりいただきありがとうございます。それでは、本日の議題に入ります。どうぞよろしくお願いします。

Common mistakes

One common mistake is using a casual greeting such as おはよう in a business meeting where おはようございます is expected. The polite form is the safer default in professional settings.

Another mistake is translating English meeting language too directly. For example, “Let’s start the meeting” can sound too abrupt if rendered in a very literal, direct style. Japanese often prefers softer phrasing such as 始めたいと思います.

A third pitfall is overusing English loanwords in settings where Japanese terms are standard. アジェンダ is understood in many workplaces, but 本日の議題 can sound more natural and more widely appropriate in formal speech.

Meeting openings by setting

Different workplaces use the same core phrases with slight changes in tone.

  • Internal team meeting: short, efficient openings are common.
  • Client meeting: more formality, more gratitude, and a gentler tone are expected.
  • Morning briefing: おはようございます is especially natural.
  • Online meeting: the same phrases work well, though speakers often add a brief check-in before moving on.

The core idea is consistency: Japanese business openings usually make the room feel orderly before moving into discussion. In longer meetings, clear transition phrases matter because they help everyone follow the speaker’s structure without ambiguity.

Quick reference

  • おはようございます — formal morning greeting
  • 皆さん、お集まりいただきありがとうございます — thank you for gathering
  • それでは、会議を始めたいと思います — let’s begin the meeting
  • 本日の議題に入ります — let’s move to today’s agenda
  • どうぞよろしくお願いします — polite closing phrase for cooperation

In conversation practice, repeated speaking of these fixed formulas helps them become automatic, which matters more in meetings than memorizing isolated vocabulary.

References