NICE TO MEET YOU
Greetings are one of the most important parts of conversation and meeting new people. And when you travel, it’s even more crucial.
The Japanese phrase for “Nice to meet you” is Hajimemashite.
To pronounce this correctly, let’s first break it down into syllables:
Ha-ji-me-ma-shi-te.
As you can see, you have six separate sounds.
The first sound, “ha” is pronounced like the “ho” in the English word hot.
The second sound, “ji”, is pronounced like the letter G (as in “gee”).
The third sound, “me” is similar to the English word may.
The fourth sound, “ma” is pronounced like the “mo” in the English word mop.
The fifth and sixth syllables, though technically distinct, are typically run together to form more of a single sound. First though, let’s learn how to pronounce them separately:
The fifth sound, “shi” is pronounced like the English word she.
The sixth sound, “te” is pronounced like the “ta” in the English word table.
Now, combine the fifth sound “shi” and the sixth sound “te”, but run it together. The sound you should make is similar to “Sh” + “te” (so the i in “Shi” is essentially silent).
Now put the sounds together. Keep repeating the word until you get more comfortable with it. Before you know it, you’ll have it!
HAJIMEMASHITE
For more useful Japanese words, go to WOW: Word of the Week
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