Small talk at networking events: What brought you to this event
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Key Phrases
どうしてこのイベントに来ましたか。
dou shi te kono ibento ni ki mashi ta ka
Why did you come to this event?
仕事のつながりを作りたくて来ました。
shigoto no tsunagari o tsukuri taku te ki mashi ta
I came because I want to make work connections.
お仕事は何ですか。
o shigoto wa nan desu ka
What is your job?
Skills You'll Learn
Ask someone’s reason for attending an event and respond with a natural reason.
イベントに来た理由を聞いて、自然な理由で答えられる。
ibento ni ki ta riyuu o kii te shizen na riyuu de kotae rareru
Talk about networking goals (making connections) using polite Japanese.
「〜たくて」を使って目的（つながりを作りたい等）を丁寧に言える。
taku te o tsukatsu te mokuteki o teinei ni ieru
Ask and answer basic questions about your job/field in a first meeting.
初対面で仕事について「お仕事は何ですか」「ITの仕事です」などでやりとりできる。
hatsu taimen de shigoto ni tsui te o shigoto wa nan desu ka IT no shigoto desu nado de yaritori dekiru
Lesson Roleplay
Imagine you’re at a casual networking event in Japan. You greet someone you’ve just met, ask why they came, and chat about your jobs (IT and design) and what you’re hoping to get from the event.
こんにちは。はじめまして。
konnichiwa hajime mashi te
Hello. Nice to meet you.
こんにちは。はじめまして。
konnichiwa hajime mashi te
Hello. Nice to meet you.
今日は、どうしてこのイベントに来ましたか。
kyou wa dou shi te kono ibento ni ki mashi ta ka
Why did you come to this event today?
友だちにさそわれました。人と話したくて。
tomodachi ni sasowa re mashi ta hito to hanashi taku te
A friend invited me. I just wanted to talk to someone.
いいですね。ぼくは仕事のつながりを作りたくて来ました。
ii desu ne boku wa shigoto no tsunagari o tsukuri taku te ki mashi ta
That sounds great. I came here because I wanted to build work connections.
Lesson Vocabulary & Phrases
こんにちは。
konnichiwa
Hello.
はじめまして。
hajime mashi te
Nice to meet you.
今日
kyou
Today
は
ha
Topic marker (as for…)
💬 [は] is written [は] but here it's pronounced (wa). That's true when [は] marks the topic, like in [今日は] and [私は]
See breakdown →今日は
kyou wa
Today
💬 [今日は] is often used like a greeting meaning "hello," not just literally "today." Also, the [は] is pronounced (wa), not (ha).
🇯🇵 As a greeting, [こんにちは。] is much more natural than just [今日は。] on its own. [今日は] mainly shows up inside longer sentences unless you're reading older or stylized Japanese.
See breakdown →この
kono
This (before a noun)
💬 [この] must come before a noun: [このイベント], [この人], [この会社]. If you want to say "this" by itself, use [これ] instead.
See breakdown →イベント
ibento
Event
に
ni
To / for (destination/target particle)
か
ka
Question marker
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