Workplace basics: greetings, safety and reporting

Many people come to Japan to work in factories, construction, farming, care homes, hotels and restaurants — as Specified Skilled Workers (特定技能とくていぎのう) or technical intern trainees. On the first day, the most important Japanese is not grammar: it is the greetings, the safety words and a few sentences to ask for help and to report. This lesson teaches exactly those. Your workplace may use its own words too, so write down what your colleagues say and ask what it means.

Greetings through the day

When	Japanese	Meaning
arriving in the morning	おはようございます	Good morning (used until about 11 a.m., and at the start of a shift at any time in many workplaces)
meeting a colleague during the day	おつかれさまです	Hello / thanks for your work
entering an office or a room	失礼しつれいします	Excuse me (for coming in)
asking someone to do something	おねがいします	Please / I’m counting on you
leaving before others	お先さきに失礼しつれいします	Excuse me for leaving first
answering someone who is leaving	おつかれさまでした	Thank you for your work today

Say greetings clearly and look at the person — in Japanese workplaces a loud, clear おはようございます is part of good manners. A small bow is enough.

Asking for help

Start with すみません to get attention, then say what you need. The most useful sentence is 〜を教おしえてください — “Please tell me / show me …”.

Japanese	Meaning
すみません、使つかい方かたを教おしえてください。	Excuse me, please show me how to use it.
すみません、もう一度いちど言ってください。	Sorry, please say it once more.
ゆっくり言ってください。	Please say it slowly.
これは何ですか。	What is this?
これでいいですか。	Is this OK? (checking your work)
ちょっと手伝てつだってください。	Please help me a little.

Don’t say はい when you did not understand. In Japanese はい can simply mean “I’m listening”, and your supervisor may think you understood. Say すみません、分かりません and ask again — it is always better than a mistake.

Safety words

Japanese	Reading	Meaning
危あぶない！	あぶない	Watch out! / Dangerous!
気をつけて！	きをつけて	Be careful!
止とまって！	とまって	Stop! (you — stop moving)
止とめて！	とめて	Stop it! (stop the machine)
さわらないでください	さわらないでください	Please don’t touch.
入らないでください	はいらないでください	Please don’t go in.
立入禁止たちいりきんし	たちいりきんし	No entry (sign)
ヘルメットをかぶってください	ヘルメットをかぶってください	Please wear your helmet.

When you hear 危あぶない or 止とまって, stop at once and look around — ask what happened afterwards. If you see danger, shout it yourself: 危あぶない！ is understood by everyone. Follow the safety rules and training of your own workplace; this list is only a start.

Reporting your work

Japanese	Meaning
終おわりました。	I’ve finished.
まだです。 / まだ終おわっていません。	Not yet. / I haven’t finished yet.
分かりました。	I understand. / OK.
分かりません。	I don’t understand.
すみません、まちがえました。	Sorry, I made a mistake.
機械きかいが止とまりました。	The machine has stopped.
けがをしました。	I’ve hurt myself.

Report mistakes and accidents at once, even small ones. In Japan a quick report is seen as responsible behaviour; hiding a problem is what causes trouble.

Hō-ren-sō: report, inform, consult

Japanese workplaces often talk about ほうれんそう — it sounds like the word for spinach, and it is made of the first part of three words:

Word	Meaning	Example
報告ほうこく (ほうこく)	Report: tell your supervisor how your work is going or that it is finished.	箱はこは全部ぜんぶ終おわりました。
連絡れんらく (れんらく)	Inform: pass on facts — you will be late, you are sick, a delivery came.	すみません、電車でんしゃがおくれています。十分おくれます。
相談そうだん (そうだん)	Consult: ask for advice before you decide something alone.	ちょっと相談そうだんがあります。

The idea is simple: don’t keep information to yourself. Tell your supervisor early — good news, bad news and questions.

Model dialogue with a supervisor

Speaker	Japanese	English
Nguyen	おはようございます。	Good morning.
Supervisor	おはようございます。今日はこの箱はこを三十作つくってください。	Good morning. Today please make thirty of these boxes.
Nguyen	はい、分かりました。すみません、この機械きかいの使つかい方かたを教おしえてください。	OK. Excuse me, please show me how to use this machine.
Supervisor	いいですよ。ここを押おします。危あぶないですから、ここに手を入れないでください。	Sure. You press here. It’s dangerous, so don’t put your hand in here.
Nguyen	はい、気をつけます。	OK, I’ll be careful.
	(before the lunch break)
Nguyen	班長はんちょう、報告ほうこくです。箱はこは二十終おわりました。	Supervisor, a report: I’ve finished twenty boxes.
Supervisor	そうですか。午後もおねがいします。	Good. Please continue this afternoon.
Nguyen	あの、ちょっと相談そうだんがあります。機械きかいの音おとがへんです。	Um, I need your advice. The machine is making a strange noise.
Supervisor	分かりました。すぐ見に行きます。機械きかいを止とめてください。	I see. I’ll come and look right away. Please stop the machine.
	(at the end of the day)
Nguyen	お先さきに失礼しつれいします。	Excuse me for leaving first.
Supervisor	おつかれさまでした。	Thanks for your work today.

班長はんちょう (team leader) is one of many job titles; workplaces also use 主任しゅにん, リーダー or the person’s name + さん. Use what your colleagues use.

Common mistakes

• Saying はい when you did not understand. Say 分かりません and ask again.
• Using さようなら when you leave work. Say お先さきに失礼しつれいします.
• Mixing up 止とまって (stop yourself) and 止とめて (stop something, such as a machine).
• Waiting until the end of the day to report a problem. Report it at once.

How to practise

• Say every greeting in the table at the right time for one week.
• Write down three words your colleagues use often and ask これは何ですか or どういう意味いみですか.
• Practise the safety words aloud until you react without thinking.
• Write 午, 出, 入 and 間 on the worksheet and do the “What do you say?” exercise.