How to use “Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu” in Japanese

How to use “Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu” in Japanese

Welcome back to another “Video & Article” series, this time for our first live-stream with tutor Wakako. In this article and video, Wakako introduces the very common sentence “Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu”. You will learn the meaning, origin, and most importantly how to use this phrase naturally in all kinds of situations.

Table of Contents
[Introduction]
[Various translationf of “よろしくおねがいします”]
[Situations to use “よろしくおねがいします” in]
[When to just use “よろしく”]
[The Timing of “よろしくおねがいします”]
[Using “よろしくおねがいします” in strict business situations]
[How to reply to “よろしくおねがいします”]
[Variations of “よろしくおねがいします”]

[Introduction]

Today we will introduce a very common Japanese expression, namey “よろしくおねがいします”. This expression, similar to expressions like “いってらっしゃい” or “いってきます”, is very commonly used in Japanese but cannot be directly translated into English.

[Various translationf of “よろしくおねがいします”]

Some English translations for “よろしくおねがいいたします” include:
  • Thank you for your continued help
  • Thank you very much in advance
  • I look forward to working with you
  • I look forward to seeing you
Which one is most accurate depends on the situation you use “よろしくおねがいします” in.

[Situations to use “よろしくおねがいします” in]

Japanese people love this phrase and use it almost every day both in business and private situations. One of the most common situations you use this phrase in is when you introduce yourself. はじめまして、和佳子といいます。よろしくおねがいします。 Nice to meet you. I'm Wakako. I look forward to knowing each other. Another situation you often use it is when you ask somebody to do something, or when you ask someone a favour. この資料しりょう明日あしたまでにつくっておいてくれますか?よろしくおねがいします。 Could you make this document by tomorrow? Thank you very much in advance.

[When to just use “よろしく”]

If you are the boss of the person you are asking something of, or if you are in a higher position than them, you can shorten the phrase to just “よろしく”. “よろしく” sounds more casual so you can use it with friends in casual situations as well.
A: タツヤくん、明日あしたこのノートしてくれる?
A: Hey Tatsuya, can I borrow your notebook tomorrow?

B: うん、いいよ
B: Sure, no problem.

A: よろしく
A: Thanks in advance.

[The Timing of “よろしくおねがいします”]

Now we’ll get to an important point regarding this phrase. “よろしくおねがいします” or “よろしく” are used when referring to an action to take place in the future. That’s why you can use it to mean “Thank you in advance”. However, if you - using the example from above - borrow his notebook right now, you can't say “よろしく” to mean “Thank you” because the action you are thanking the other person for is happening in the present. In that case, you can simply say “ありがとう” instead of “よろしく”.

[Using “よろしくおねがいします” in strict business situations]

“よろしくおねがいします” itself is a polite phrase, but if you want to make it extremely polite, you can say “よろしくおねがい致します”. If you talk with a customer or client in a business scene, you should use very polite words, so “よろしくおねがい致します” or “どうぞよろしくおねがい致します” are suitable.
どうぞ よろしく おねがい致します。 “どうぞ” is a word used to show your politeness when you ask or wish something, so it means “please”.
“よろしく” is used to show your friendliness or goodwill when you ask something.
“いたします” is a humble form of “する” and is used in the “masu”-form here.
These phrases are not only used in speaking Japanese but also used in written Japanese. When you write emails to customers, clients, or even your colleagues, you can use this phrase at the end of the message. It is like a common greeting to end messages.

[How to reply to “よろしくおねがいします”]

Now, how do you best reply if someone says “よろしくおねがいします” to you?
If someone says “よろしくおねがいします” when they introduce themselves, what would you answer? A natural answer is “こちらこそ、よろしくおねがいします”.
“こちらこそ” means “me too”, so “こちらこそ、よろしくおねがいします” means “I look forward to becoming friends with you too”.
Do you remember the other situation to use “よろしくおねがいします”? It is when asking a favour of someone, or asking someone to do something. So if someone ask you to do a specific task such as making a document, what would you answer?
This time the answer can be “かしこまりました” or “承知しょうちいたしました”. “かしこまりました” means “certainly”. “承知しょうちする” means “ to agree” or “to be aware”. “承知しょうちいたしました” is often used as a polite way to say “かりました”.

[Variations of “よろしくおねがいします”]

At last, there are many varieties of “よろしくおねがいします”, so we will introduce some examples.
If you use it to ask something of someone, you have similar expressions like “ぜひともよろしくおねがいします” or “何卒なにとぞよろしくおねがい致します”. “ぜひとも” means “at all costs”. “何卒なにとぞ” is similar to “どうぞ”, but it sounds more formal and stronger so it is often used in written Japanese.
If you use it as a greeting, you have a varieties like “今後こんごともよろしくおねがい致します” and “つづきよろしくおねがいします”. “今後こんごとも” means “In the future”. “つづき” means “continuously”.
That is all for today's lesson. “よろしくおねがいします” is used very often in everyday life in Japan. So if you master how to use it, it will be very useful. So please try to use it!
If you have any questions, you can always clear them up by booking a lesson with one of our native Japanese tutors. See you next time!
単語たんごリスト(Vocabulary list)
はじめまして Nice to meet you
資料しりょう Documents
ノート Notebook
To lend, to loan
どうぞ Please, kindly
いた To do (humble form of “する”, used as “いたします” in “よろしくおねがいたします”)
こちらこそ Me too
かしこまりました Certainly (very polite, conveys an eagerness to please)
承知しょうちする To understand, to consent (used as “承知しょうちいたしました” to replace “わかりました” in business situations)
ぜひとも By all means (politely implying that you will not accept no as an answer)
何卒なにとぞ If it pleases you, please, kindly (replaces “どうぞ” in “何卒なにとぞよろしくおねがいたします”)
今後こんごとも From now on
つづ To continue (for a long time) (used as “つづきよろしくおねがいします”, to imply that the speaker hopes for the business relationship to last for a long time)