Casual and Formal Phone Conversation in Japanese (with Sample Dialogues)

Phone usage in Japan is nearly as widespread as in the US, with the number of smartphone users in Japan expected to reach 92% of Japanese people by 2025. This makes phones nearly ubiquitous in Japanese culture, so it’s extremely important to learn how to make phone calls in Japanese. This is doubly true in official, formal and business environments, which have their own rules for phone calls and politeness.

Learn the key phrases and etiquette that you’ll need to know to have a casual or formal phone conversation in Japanese.

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How to Answer the Phone in Japanese: Moshi moshi ( もしもし )

No matter where you are (at home, at the office, etc.), you can use this phrase to answer the phone.

The phrase moshi moshi comes from the humble verb mosu ( 申す ), which means “to say.” Back when operators needed to connect calls to their recipients, Japanese people would say mosu mosu to ensure their voices reached the operators. Over time, this morphed into moshi moshi, which is still used today. 

Note that you cannot use moshi moshi to say “hello” in any other situation except over the phone. 

You can also answer the phone by stating your name or by thanking the caller for calling you. In the following section, we’ll see a few other ways to answer the phone in more polite scenarios, including the two methods I just mentioned.

Formal Phone Phrases

Answering the phone

English	Romaji	Japanese
This is Mr. [Name].	[Name] desu.	[名前]です。
This is [Name] from [Name] company.	[Namae]-sha no [namae] desu.	[名前]社の[名前]です。
Who is calling?	Donata kara no o denwa deshou ka?	どなたからのお電話でしょうか？
Thank you very much for your cooperation.	Douzo yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.	どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。
Thank you for calling.	O denwa arigatou gozaimasu.	お電話ありがとうございます。
May I ask the purpose of your call?	O denwa no mokuteki o o ukagai shite mo yoroshii deshou ka?	お電話の目的をお伺いしてもよろしいでしょうか？

Asking to speak to someone

English	Romaji	Japanese
Is this Mr. [Name]?	[Namae]-samade yoroshii deshou ka?	[名前] 様でよろしいでしょうか?
May I speak to [Name]?	[Namae]-san to ohanashi shite mo yoroshii deshou ka?	[名前]さんとお話してもよろしいでしょうか？
Is this the [Name] residence?	Kochira wa [namae]-sama no juukyo desu ka?	こちらは [名前] 様の住居ですか？
May I speak with Mr. [Name]?	[Namae]-san to ohanashi sa sete itadaite mo yoroshii deshou ka?	[名前]さんとお話させていただいてもよろしいでしょうか？
Excuse me, is [Name] available?	[Namae]-san wa gotsugou ga yoroshii deshou ka?	[名前] さんはご都合がよろしいでしょうか？

Being asked to speak to someone

English	Romaji	Japanese
Yes, this is Mr. [Name].	Hai, [namae]-san desu.	はい、[名前]さんです。
Yes, I'll forward you to Mr. [Name].	Hai, [namae]-san ni tensou shimasu.	はい、[名前]さんに転送します
I'm sorry, he's on another call.	Mou shiwake gozaimasen ga, betsu no denwa ni dete orimasu.	申し訳ございませんが、別の電話に出ております。
They are not at their desk right now.	Tadaima fuzaidesu.	只今不在です。
He will return your call when he gets back.	Modori shidai orikaeshi go renraku itashimasu.	戻り次第、折り返しご連絡いたします。

Asking for clarification

English	Romaji	Japanese
Could you speak more slowly please?	Mou sukoshi yukkuri ohanashi itadakemasu ka?	もう少しゆっくりお話しいただけますか？
Could you say that again?	Mou ichido itte itadakemasu ka?	もう一度言っていただけますか？

Leaving and taking a message

English	Romaji	Japanese
Could I leave a message, please?	Dengon o onegai shite mo yoroshii deshou ka?	伝言をお願いしてもよろしいでしょうか？
Can you let [Name] know that I called?	[Name] san ni denwa ga atta koto o tsutaete itadakemasu ka?	[名前]さんに電話があったことを伝えていただけますか？
Please ask [Name] to call me back.	[Name] san ni orikaeshi denwa o onegai dekimasu ka?	[名前]さんに折り返し電話をお願いできますか？
Would you mind taking a message?	Dengon o onegai shite mo ii desu ka?	伝言をお願いしてもいいですか？
Would you like to leave a message?	Dengon o nokosaremasu ka?	伝言を残されますか？

Common formal phone phrases

English	Romaji	Japanese
Thank you for your continued support.	Osewa ni natte orimasu.	お世話になっております。
I apologize for the wait.	O-matase itashimashita.	お待たせいたしました。
Please hold for a moment.	Shoushou omachi kudasai.	少々お待ちください。

Ending the conversation

English	Romaji	Japanese
Sorry for bothering you.	O-jama shite sumimasen.	お邪魔してすみません。
I apologize for bothering you.	Go-meiwaku o okake shite moushiwake arimasen.	ご迷惑をおかけして申し訳ありません。

Casual Phone Phrases

Less scripted, more like normal face-to-face conversations. Some common phrases from casual phone conversations:

English	Romaji	Japanese
How are you?	Genki?	元気？
Can you talk now?	Ima, hanaseru?	今、話せる？
What are you doing?	Nani shiteru no?	何してるの？
Hold on a second.	Chotto matte.	ちょっと待って。
I'll call you back later.	Ato de kake naosu ne.	後でかけ直すね。
Talk to you later.	Mata ne.	またね。
Let's meet soon.	Chikai uchi ni aou.	近いうちに会おう。

Using Aizuchi in Phone Conversations

In Japanese phone conversations, dead air is very uncomfortable. The listener should let the speaker know that they’re paying attention constantly. They do this by using aizuchi, which is phrases and interjections made exactly for this reason. 

You can say hai ( はい ), which means “yes,” throughout the conversation to show the speaker that you’re still there.  But be careful of how you say it: hai with a rising intonation ( はい？ ) is often used to indicate that you missed some information.

You can also use various Japanese filler words, like un ( うん ) or ee ( ええ ), in a casual conversation. 

In business situations, one of these polite responses should be used:

はい、 分かりました。 (Hai, wakarimashita.) — Yes, understood.

かしこまりました。 (Kashikomarimashita.) — Understood.

Sample Japanese Phone Conversations

Below are three sample conversations you might have on the phone in Japanese. But don’t stop after these three—find more examples on the FluentU program, along with many other authentic videos paired with learning tools.

Making a formal call

Caller:
お世話になっております。
Osewa ni natteorimasu.
Thank you for taking my call.

Receptionist:
はい、レストランOOの受付でございます。
Hai, resutoran OO no uketsuke de gozaimasu.
Yes, this is the reception at the OO Restaurant.

Caller:
私、田中幸子と申します。
Watashi, Tanaka Sachiko to moushimasu. 
My name is Sachiko Tanaka.

Receptionist:
田中様、どのようなご用件でしょうか？
Tanaka-sama, dono youna goyouken deshou ka? 
Mr. Tanaka, how may I assist you?

Caller:
今週の金曜日のディナー予約を、都合により、別の日に変更したいと考えております。
Konshuu no kinyoubi no dinaa yoyaku o, tsugou ni yori, betsu no hi ni henko shitai to kangaeteorimasu.
I have a dinner reservation for this Friday but due to scheduling conflicts, I would like to change it to another day.

Receptionist:
かしこまりました。ご希望の日にちはございますか？
Kashikomarimashita. Gokibou no hi-nichi wa gozaimasu ka?
Certainly. Do you have a preferred date?

Caller:
来週の火曜日または水曜日がよろしいでしょうか？
Raishuu no kayoubi matawa suiyoubi ga yoroshii deshou ka?)
How about next Tuesday or Wednesday?

Receptionist:
来週の火曜日は、午後6時からの空きがございます。
Raishuu no kayoubi wa, gogo roku-ji kara no aki ga gozaimasu.
We have availability next Tuesday from 6:00 PM.

Receptionist:
水曜日の方がよろしければ、午後7時から空きがあります。
Suiyoubi no hou ga yoroshikereba, gogo shichiji kara aki ga arimasu.
If Wednesday works better for you, we have availability from 7:00 PM.

Caller:
それでは、水曜日の午後7時に変更をお願いいたします。
Soredewa, suiyoubi no gogo shichiji ni henko o onegai itashimasu.
Then, please change it to Wednesday at 7:00 PM.

Receptionist:
かしこまりました。水曜日の午後7時に予約を変更いたしました。
Kashikomarimashita. Suiyoubi no gogo shichi-ji ni yoyaku o henko itashimashita.
Certainly. I have rescheduled your reservation to Wednesday at 7:00 PM.

Receptionist:
当日、お待ち申し上げております。
Toujitsu, omachi moushiagemasu.
We look forward to seeing you on the day.

Caller:
ありがとうございます。それでは、失礼いたします。
Arigatou gozaimasu. Soredewa, shitsurei itashimasu.
Thank you very much. Well then, I will end the call.

Receptionist:
失礼いたします。
Shitsurei itashimasu.
Thank you. Goodbye.

At the office

Caller:
お世話になっております。
O-sewa ni natteorimasu.
Thank you for taking my call.

Receptionist:
はい、OO株式会社でございます。
Hai, OO Kabushikigaisha de gozaimasu.
Yes, this is OO Corporation.

Caller:
私、佐藤健一と申しますが、鈴木部長にお話ししたいのですが。
Watashi, Satou Kenichi to moushimasu ga, Suzuki buchou ni ohanashi shitai no desu ga.
My name is Kenichi Satou, and I would like to speak with Manager Suzuki.

Receptionist:
申し訳ございませんが、鈴木部長は只今外出中でございます。
Moushiwake gozaimasen ga, Suzuki buchou wa tadaima gaishutsu-chuu de gozaimasu.
I’m very sorry, but Manager Suzuki is currently out of the office.

Caller:
そうですか。それでは、メッセージをお伝えいただけますでしょうか？
Sou desu ka. Soredewa, messeiji o otsutae itadakemasu deshou ka?
I see. In that case, could you please take a message?

Receptionist:
はい、承知いたしました。メッセージをお伺いします。
Hai, shouchi itashimashita. Messeeji o o-ukagai shimasu.
Certainly, I will take the message.

Caller:
来週の月曜日の午後2時の会議について、鈴木部長に確認をお願いしたいのですが。
Raishuu no getsuyoubi no gogo ni-ji no kaigi ni tsuite, Suzuki buchou ni kakunin o onegai shitai no desu ga.
I need Manager Suzuki to confirm the meeting scheduled for next Monday at 2:00 PM.

Receptionist:
かしこまりました。鈴木部長が戻り次第、必ずご連絡を差し上げます。
Kashikomarimashita. Suzuki buchou ga modori shidai, kanarazu go-renraku o sashiagemasu.
Certainly, I will make sure that Manager Suzuki contacts you as soon as he returns.

Caller:
ありがとうございます。それでは、失礼いたします。
Arigatou gozaimasu. Soredewa, shitsurei itashimasu.
Thank you very much. Well then, I will end the call.

Receptionist:
失礼いたします。
Shitsurei itashimasu.
Thank you. Goodbye.

Talking to a friend

Caller:
もしもし、元気？
Moshi moshi, genki?
Hey, how’s it going?

Friend:
ああ、こんにちは！元気だよ。
Aa, konnichiwa! Genki da yo.
Oh, hi! I’m good.

Caller:
よかった。今日、遊びに行こうと思ってるんだけど、暇？
Yokatta. Kyou, asobi ni ikou to omotterun dakedo, hima?
Great. I was thinking of hanging out today. Are you free?

Friend:
うーん、今日は特に予定ないよ。どこ行くの？
U-n, kyou wa toku ni yotei nai yo. Doko iku no?
Hmm, I don’t have any plans today. Where are we going?

Caller:
映画を見に行こうと思ってるんだ。
Eiga o mini ikou to omotterunda.
I was thinking of going to see a movie.

Friend:
いいね！何時に待ち合わせする？
Ii ne! Nanji ni machiawase suru?)
Sounds good! What time should we meet?

Caller:
午後3時でどう？
Gogo san-ji de dou?
How about 3:00 PM?

Friend:
じゃあ3時に映画館でね。
Jaa san-ji ni eigakan de ne.)
See you at the movie theater at 3:00 PM then.

Caller:
了解！楽しみにしてるね。
Ryoukai! Tanoshimi ni shiteru ne.
Got it! Looking forward to it.

Friend:
うん、私も楽しみにしてる！
Un, watashi mo tanoshimi ni shiteru!
Yeah, me too, can’t wait!

 

Continue to practice Japanese phone conversations and you’ll feel confident making any kind of phone call, whether you’re checking in on a friend or talking to your boss.