Japanese Business Speaking: Keigo Phrases for Meetings, Phone Calls and Email Follow-ups

Master Japanese business speaking with practical keigo phrases for meetings, phone calls and email follow-ups, plus examples you can use at work today.

Keigo (敬語, honorific language) is the part of Japanese that makes busy learners freeze at work. This guide gives you ready-to-use phrases and simple rules for meetings, calls and follow-up emails.

The fastest way to absorb keigo is to hear it in real situations. Corodomo lets you paste a YouTube link or upload a business video and get automatic bilingual subtitles. You can look up each word with detailed AI explanations, then practice saying the phrases aloud with CoroAI.

• Keigo basics in five minutes
• Phrases for meetings
• Phrases for phone calls
• Email follow-ups
• Common keigo mistakes
• A practice routine with video
• FAQ
• Conclusion

Keigo basics in five minutes

Keigo has three main types. Teineigo (丁寧語) is the polite style, such as ます and です. Sonkeigo (尊敬語) raises the other person. Kenjōgo (謙譲語) lowers yourself or your company.

The key idea is direction. When the client acts, use sonkeigo. When you or your team act toward the client, use kenjōgo. Mixing them up is the most common error.

Start with a small core set of verbs. These few cover a large share of daily office talk.

Plain verb	Sonkeigo (their action)	Kenjōgo (your action)
行く – iku (go)	いらっしゃる	参る (まいる)
言う – iu (say)	おっしゃる	申す (もうす)
見る – miru (see)	ご覧になる	拝見する
する – suru (do)	なさる	いたす
いる – iru (be)	いらっしゃる	おる

• Learn the table above as pairs, not as separate words.
• Ask yourself first: who is doing the action?
• Default to ます/です if you are unsure. It is safe.
• Look up unfamiliar verbs in the Japanese dictionary to see polite forms.

Phrases for meetings

Meetings reward short, clear, polite sentences. You rarely need complex grammar. You need the right openers, softeners and closers.

Use cushion words to soften disagreement. 恐れ入りますが (excuse me, but) and よろしければ (if you don't mind) make requests sound gentle. Avoid a direct 違います (that's wrong).

Japanese	Reading	Meaning
本日はよろしくお願いいたします。	Honjitsu wa yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.	Thank you for your time today (opening).
資料をご覧いただけますか。	Shiryō o goran itadakemasu ka.	Could you look at the materials?
私の考えを申し上げます。	Watashi no kangae o mōshiagemasu.	Let me state my opinion.
確認させていただけますか。	Kakunin sasete itadakemasu ka.	May I confirm something?
少し違う見方もあるかもしれません。	Sukoshi chigau mikata mo aru kamoshiremasen.	There may be a slightly different view (soft disagreement).

• Memorize one opener, one request and one closer.
• Use ～させていただけますか to ask permission politely.
• Soften disagreement with かもしれません instead of denying.
• Close with 以上です (that is all) after your point.

Phrases for phone calls

Phone calls are harder because you cannot see faces. Japanese companies use near-fixed scripts, so memorizing them pays off quickly.

Note the rule of uchi-soto (内と外, inside and outside). When speaking to outsiders, you lower your own colleagues. Do not use honorifics for your boss when talking to a client. Say 田中は席を外しております, not 田中さんは…

Japanese	Reading	Meaning
お電話ありがとうございます。	Odenwa arigatō gozaimasu.	Thank you for calling.
田中はただいま席を外しております。	Tanaka wa tadaima seki o hazushite orimasu.	Tanaka is away from the desk right now.
折り返しお電話いたします。	Orikaeshi odenwa itashimasu.	I will call you back.
お名前をもう一度お願いできますか。	Onamae o mō ichido onegai dekimasu ka.	Could you repeat your name?
少々お待ちください。	Shōshō omachi kudasai.	Please wait a moment.

• Write a three-line phone script and keep it by your desk.
• Repeat key details back: names, dates and numbers.
• Say もう少しゆっくりお願いします if the speaker is too fast.
• Practice aloud daily. CoroAI speaking practice gives you instant pronunciation feedback.

Email follow-ups

Business email follows a stable pattern: greeting, self-introduction, purpose, closing. After a meeting, a short thank-you email is standard and builds trust.

Start with お世話になっております (thank you for your continued support). Then thank the person for their time. State your next step clearly and end with a polite closer.

株式会社ABC 山田様
お世話になっております。○○社の△△です。
本日はお時間をいただき、誠にありがとうございました。
ご説明いただいた件について、社内で検討し、来週までにご連絡いたします。
何卒よろしくお願い申し上げます。

Meaning: "Dear Mr. Yamada of ABC. Thank you for your continued support. This is △△ of ○○. Thank you for your time today. I will discuss the matter you explained internally and contact you by next week. I appreciate your kind cooperation."

• Keep one follow-up template and adapt names and dates.
• Always include a deadline for your next action.
• Use ご確認ください to ask for a check, and ご確認をお願いいたします for a softer tone.
• Learn work vocabulary such as 仕事 (shigoto, work) in context.

Common keigo mistakes

Even native speakers slip. The most famous error is double honorifics (二重敬語). For example, おっしゃられる stacks two honorific layers. Use おっしゃる instead.

Another trap is using sonkeigo for yourself. ご覧になりました is wrong for your own action. Say 拝見しました (I looked at it).

Incorrect	Correct	Meaning
おっしゃられました	おっしゃいました	You said (honorific)
私がご覧になります	私が拝見します	I will look at it
了解しました（上司へ）	承知しました	Understood (to a superior)
ご苦労様です（上司へ）	お疲れ様です	Thank you for your work

• Never stack two honorific forms on one verb.
• Replace 了解 with 承知 or かしこまりました for superiors.
• Keep a personal list of mistakes you have corrected.
• Review the corrections weekly with flashcards.

A practice routine with video

Memorizing lists is slow. Hearing keigo in real scenes makes it stick. Choose a short business drama clip, interview or training video, then study it in Corodomo with bilingual subtitles.

Work in small loops of ten to fifteen minutes. Watch a one-minute segment, look up unknown words, then shadow the lines aloud. Finish with a quiz or the listen-and-type test to check retention.

1. Pick a video of a meeting or phone scene.
2. Read the bilingual subtitles once for meaning.
3. Tap unfamiliar words for detailed AI lookup.
4. Save keigo phrases to flashcards.
5. Shadow the lines with CoroAI and compare your rhythm.
6. Write your own example sentence as a vocabulary test.

Kanji also help you recognize keigo in writing. Studying characters like 勉 and 学, or words like 勉強 (benkyō, study), builds the reading base you need for emails.

• Do one loop per day instead of one long weekend session.
• Focus on five phrases per week.
• Record yourself on a mock call every Friday.

FAQ

Do I need keigo as a beginner?

You need teineigo (ます/です) first. Add a few set phrases like よろしくお願いします and お疲れ様です. Deeper keigo can wait until you work with Japanese clients.

What is the difference between sonkeigo and kenjōgo?

Sonkeigo raises the other person's actions. Kenjōgo lowers your own actions. Both show respect, but they point in opposite directions.

Is it okay to use 了解しました at work?

It is fine with peers but can sound too casual to superiors or clients. Use 承知しました or かしこまりました instead.

How can I practice keigo speaking alone?

Shadow business videos, read scripts aloud and record yourself. Tools like CoroAI in Corodomo give feedback on pronunciation, so you can practice without a partner.

How long does it take to use keigo naturally?

It varies widely. With daily short practice, many learners handle basic meeting and phone phrases in a few months (an estimate, not a guarantee).

Conclusion

• Think in direction: sonkeigo for them, kenjōgo for you, and uchi-soto on the phone.
• Memorize fixed scripts for openers, requests, callbacks and email closers.
• Learn from real video, shadow aloud and review phrases with flashcards.

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