In this dialogue, Mr. Saito of Yamaha is meeting Ms. Saito of IBM in a business setting. You will see how to introduce yourself and exchange business cards.

 

A: わたし、ヤマハのさいとうです。 どうぞ、よろしく。
B: わたし、ＩＢＭのやまぐちです。 どうぞ、よろしく。

Vocabulary

1.

わたし

I, me
2. [ヤマハ] Yamaha [company name]
3. の [affiliation marker] XのY: X's Y, Y of X
4. さいとう Saito [family name]
5. やまぐち Yamaguchi [family name]

Addtional Vocabulary

1. おんな [plain] woman
2. おとこ [plain] man
3. めいし business card

Translation

A: I'm Saito of Yamaha. Nice to see you.
B: I'm Yamaguchi of IBM. Nice to see you.

Cultural Notes

1. Using both hands to hand over a business card Using both hands to receive a business cards

Business cards represent the person and his/her organization. Handle them with care. When you hand over your business card, remember the following:

  1. Turn your card to face the other person so that s/he doesn't have to turn it around to read it.
  2. Bow slightly as you hand over the card. Use both hands if possible.
  3. Receive the card with both hands if possible, and show some interest in the card.
  4. When you put it away, don't put it in the back pocket. Put it in your purse or jacket pocket.
2. Exchanging business cards simultaneously When exchanging business cards simultaneously, you can give your card in one hand and receive the other card in the other hand.
3.

おとこ and おんな

While おとこ and おんな are the plain forms for "man" and "woman," they can sound blunt or even disrespectful when referring to a specific person in conversation. To be more polite, it is standard to add のひと, resulting in おとこのひと (man) and おんなのひと (woman). We will cover these phrases in more detail later in the course.
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