Do you use Japanese often perhaps at work place or with your family? When you answer your phone in Japanese, how do you respond? In today’s article, let me show you some of the telephone etiquette that you can use in Japanese. Read on!

Moshi Moshi – もしもし  (Hello)

~is the key word to use when you pick up the phone in Japanese. I know in English, you would pick up a phone saying, “Hello.”  Just remember, you don’t say “Konnichiwa, こんにちは。” when you pick up a phone in Japanese.

 

Dochira sama desuka? -どちらさまですか？(Who is this?)

If you are not sure who is calling, you can ask him/her by saying, Dochira sama desuka? -どちらさまですか？This is a polite way of asking, “Who is this?”.

During your conversation, you might want to use the expressions like:

Goyouken wa nan desuka? -ご用件は、何ですか？（ごようけんは、なんですか？）(May I help you?) 

 

Goyouken o oukagai shitemo yoroshii desuka? -ご用件を、お伺いしてもよろしいですか？（ごようけんを　おうかがいしても　よろしいですか？）(May I ask you what this call is about?) 

Above two expressions are very similar, but the second one is much longer, and it might sound a bit more polite. However, you can use the first expression without offending anyone.

 

Shoushou omachi kudasai. – 少々、お待ちください。（しょうしょう　おまちください。）(Please hold on. or Please hang on.)

 

Sukoshi omachishite itadaitemo iidesuka? – 少し、お待ちしていただいても　いいですか？（すこし　おまちしていただいても　いいですか？）(May I ask you to hold on? )

This one is again a bit more polite version of the above.

Omatase itashimashita. – お待たせいたしました。(おまたせいたしました。)　(Sorry to keep you waiting. ) 

 

Tantou sha ni otsunagi itashimasu. -担当者におつなぎいたします。（たんとうしゃに　おつなぎいたします。）(Let me connect you with the assigned person.)

You can use this expression by replacing the part, “tantou sha(assigned person)” with anyone. For example, if you say,

Tanaka san ni otsunagi itashimasu. -田中さんにおつなぎいたします。（たなかさんに　おつなぎいたします。） then, it would mean, “Let me connect you to Mr. Tanaka.”

 

Odenwa arigatou gozaimashita. – お電話、ありがとうございました。（おでんわ　ありがとうございました。）(Thank you for calling.)

 

Shitsurei shimasu. Shitsurei itashimasu. – 失礼します。失礼いたします。（しつれいします。しつれいいたします。）

As you are ending the conversation, it is an etiquette in Japanese to say “Shitsurei shimasu. Shitsurei itashimasu. – 失礼します。失礼いたします。（しつれいします。しつれいいたします。）”.  To be honest, I am not sure if there is a good translation for this expression in English. This is one of those things that it literally means, “Sorry to disturb you..” kind of things.  People in Japan normally say this before ending the conversation. We rarely say “Sayounara, さようなら” on the phone to end our conversation.

 

Were these expressions new to you? Hope these were helpful to you. Good luck learning Japanese.