At the beginning of all classes, a student will say, "onegaishimasu," which literally means "please." The rest of the class will respond "onegaishimasu," and the students and teacher will bow at each other like this.
I found a fun article that attempts to explain Japan in 7 words or less.
Number 4 (otsukare/お疲れ様でした) and Number 6 (yoroshiku/よろしく) are probably the most frequently used.
Yoroshiku is particularly confusing because there is no perfect English translation. Not only is there no good English translation, there are few to no contexts in which Americans say something like "yoroshiku."
Here are some times people use "yoroshiku" in my everyday life:
-After my co-teachers and I discuss a lesson plan, we both say "yoroshiku onegaishimasu."
-To say, "nice to meet you."
-After being invited to a school event by a principal, he will say "yoroshiku onegaishaimsu," which sort of means "pleased to have you." At least, that's how I understand it.
-To say, "Thank you for coming (to our school event)."
Another useful Japanese term
One time a teacher said "yoroshiku onegaishimasu" at least 5 times on my way out the door. I didn't know how to respond after the 3rd time, so I turned to my friend and asked him what to say in return. "Kochirakoso" means "Same here." If you ever are in a similar situation where a Japanese person is being over-polite (by American standards) and you don't know what to say after the 3rd or 4th time, "kochirakoso" is a great phrase to have in your back pocket!
Number 4 (otsukare/お疲れ様でした) and Number 6 (yoroshiku/よろしく) are probably the most frequently used.
Yoroshiku is particularly confusing because there is no perfect English translation. Not only is there no good English translation, there are few to no contexts in which Americans say something like "yoroshiku."
Here are some times people use "yoroshiku" in my everyday life:
-After my co-teachers and I discuss a lesson plan, we both say "yoroshiku onegaishimasu."
-To say, "nice to meet you."
-After being invited to a school event by a principal, he will say "yoroshiku onegaishaimsu," which sort of means "pleased to have you." At least, that's how I understand it.
-To say, "Thank you for coming (to our school event)."
Another useful Japanese term
One time a teacher said "yoroshiku onegaishimasu" at least 5 times on my way out the door. I didn't know how to respond after the 3rd time, so I turned to my friend and asked him what to say in return. "Kochirakoso" means "Same here." If you ever are in a similar situation where a Japanese person is being over-polite (by American standards) and you don't know what to say after the 3rd or 4th time, "kochirakoso" is a great phrase to have in your back pocket!
Japanese politeness. In Japan, even teams bow and say "onegaishimasu" before competing against each other.