お世話になっております — Essential Business Keigo

When you start working at a Japanese company or dealing with Japanese clients, you'll quickly discover expressions that textbooks never taught you. What does お世話になっております at the start of every email actually mean? What's the difference between かしこまりました and 了解しました?

This article organizes business keigo by scenario so you can navigate the workplace without stumbling.

Greetings

Everyday Greetings

お世話になっております is the single most frequently used phrase in Japanese business. It appears in nearly every meeting and email. The other person doesn't need to have actually "supported" you — it functions as a fixed business courtesy.

いつもお世話になっております。ABCの田中です。 → Thank you for your continued support. I'm Tanaka from ABC.

An Important Distinction

• お疲れ様です: Safe to use with colleagues and superiors alike
• ご苦労様です: Only used by superiors addressing subordinates — never say this to your boss!

Making Requests

Business requests need to be more indirect than everyday speech. From direct to indirect:

Softening Phrases (Cushion Words)

Before making a request, Japanese speakers typically add a "cushion word" to soften the tone:

お手数ですが、来週までにご確認いただけますでしょうか。 → I'm sorry to trouble you, but could you possibly check this by next week?

恐れ入りますが、もう一度ご説明いただけますか。 → I'm terribly sorry, but could you explain that once more?

Apologies

Apologies also range in formality:

Combined with other phrases:

ご迷惑をおかけして、大変申し訳ございません。 → I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.

大変失礼いたしました。 → I'm very sorry for my rudeness. (after doing something inappropriate)

Acknowledging Instructions

This is a critical distinction many learners miss:

Many learners assume 了解しました is formal, but in Japanese workplaces it's actually considered somewhat casual. For superiors and clients, use 承知いたしました or かしこまりました.

A: 明日の会議は10時に変更になりました。 B: 承知いたしました。 → A: Tomorrow's meeting has been moved to 10 AM. B: Understood.

Farewells and Closing Remarks

よろしくお願いいたします is perhaps the most versatile phrase in Japanese. It appears at the end of emails, after meetings, when asking for help, during self-introductions — virtually any situation where you want to express "please take care of things going forward."

Phone Etiquette

Japanese business phone calls follow a fixed pattern:

Answering the Phone

はい、ABC株式会社でございます。 → Hello, this is ABC Corporation.

Identifying Yourself

お世話になっております。XYZの山田と申します。 → Thank you for your continued support. My name is Yamada from XYZ.

Transferring a Call

少々お待ちください。 / 少々お待ちいただけますか。 → Please hold for a moment.

When the Person Is Unavailable

申し訳ございません。ただいま席を外しております。 → I'm sorry, they're away from their desk at the moment.

戻りましたら、折り返しお電話いたしましょうか。 → Shall I have them call you back when they return?

The Formality Ladder

Here's how "please wait a moment" scales across formality levels:

Business Dialogue Example

Scenario: Visiting a Client

山田：お世話になっております。XYZの山田と申します。本日はお時間をいただき、ありがとうございます。 → Thank you for your continued support. I'm Yamada from XYZ. Thank you for making time for me today.

鈴木：こちらこそ、お忙しいところお越しいただき、ありがとうございます。 → On the contrary, thank you for coming despite your busy schedule.

山田：早速ですが、本日の議題についてご説明させていただきます。 → If I may get right to it, allow me to explain today's agenda.

Summary

• お世話になっております: Universal greeting for external contacts
• お疲れ様です: Everyday greeting for internal colleagues (never use ご苦労様 to a superior!)
• Add cushion words before requests: お手数ですが, 恐れ入りますが
• Use 承知いたしました (to superiors) or かしこまりました (to clients) for acknowledgment — avoid 了解しました
• よろしくお願いいたします is the universal closing phrase

Practice Quiz

Q1. A client emails asking you to revise a proposal. You want to reply "Understood, I'll complete it by next week." What do you say?

Q2. You need your supervisor to review a document. How do you make a polite request?

Q3. You answer a business call and the person they're looking for is away. What do you say?