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manners or habit? 2008/1/7 04:07
Hello,

I was just curious as to how much meaning is attached to saying u‚æ‚낵‚­‚¨Šè‚¢‚µ‚Ü‚·v? I know it is good manners,and said quite often for different occassions I guess,but do people usually say it out of habit and politeness,or is there a bit more meaning behind it than that?For example,would someone say it to someone if they didn't really like the person/etc?I'm not accusing anyone of anything here,don't get me wrong!:) I'm just interested,since there isn't a similar expression in English:)
by kii  

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu 2008/1/7 10:42
Kii,

As you probably already realize, it is a widely-used phrase with a wide range of meanings. In a business situation it is often used as a set greeting with no more deeper meaning than "Hello". But in other situations, it can also imply that the speaker is expecting something from the other person, such as in "I'm waiting for that report you promised".
I don't think "like" or "dislike" has any real relevance to this phrase, just as you would say "Hello" or "Thank you" to people you don't necessarily like in English.
by Dave in Saitama rate this post as useful

lost meaning 2008/1/7 11:32
I've found that it loses it's meaning the most after meeting someone new, depending on the situation. In that case it's basically "Please treat me well" or "let's be friends" though, if it's in a day where you meet 10 new people all at once... it's just automatic.
by Miyuki rate this post as useful

Expression 2008/1/7 17:09
It is used when introducing yourself for the first time.

''Please be kind to me''

Yes, there are many words and expressions that can't be (easily) translated into english. The best way is to come to Japan and learn it :)


by Kage rate this post as useful

yoroshiku 2008/1/7 17:38
Yes, people say "yoroshiku onegaishimasu" to people they don't really like, just like you might still say hello or thank you to someone you don't really like but you see regularly.

For example when you first see someone after New Year the typical greeting is "Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu", followed by "Kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu".

If I worked in an office and there was someone I didn't like there I would still have to follow the standard greeting when I saw them- not to do so would be kind of childish.
by Sira rate this post as useful

thanks 2008/1/7 17:47
thanks for your responses everyone,i really appreciate your input:)
by kii rate this post as useful

... 2008/1/7 18:07
There are times when I *really* mean it, putting my heart into it as I say it. At those times, to me, it expresses all of the following:
- I am glad to see you
- I look forward to working with you
- I hope you/we have a good/fruitful day today

There are other times when I put my heart *less* into it... well, it's still a standard business phrase that has a bit of everything, and it has a place in the conversation :)

It's like saying "how are you?" to your colleagues even if you do not particularly like that person lol, or a shop clerk saying to a shopper "hello, how are you today?" though they don't know each other...
by AK (Japanese) rate this post as useful

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