よろしく ("favourably, well")お願いします (onegaishimasu · please, I request) is often translated as nice to meet you, please, thank you in advance, or best regards. None of those is a complete one-to-one translation, but each can be a good approximation in the right situation.
The useful question is not “What is the single English equivalent?” It is:
What is happening between these people, and what are they asking from the relationship next?
That changes from scene to scene.
What the phrase is doing
Yoroshiku is related to the idea of something going well or favourably. Onegaishimasu is a polite request. Together, the phrase leaves much of the object unstated, so the listener fills it in from context.
That omission is normal Japanese, not a hidden promise to “do everything forever.”
The Agency for Cultural Affairs discusses Japanese request expressions as forms whose politeness and interpretation depend heavily on the relationship and situation, rather than on one fixed English equivalent:
- 文化庁「敬語の指針・依頼に関する解説」: https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/kokugo_nihongo/kokugo_shisaku/keigo/chapter3/detail.html
Research on yoroshiku onegaishimasu likewise treats it as a pragmatic expression whose function shifts by context:
- 静岡大学学術リポジトリ: https://shizuoka.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/3083/files/090714001.pdf
Situation 1: first introductions
A standard self-introduction can end like this:
はじめまして。野村です。よろしくお願いします。
Hajimemashite. Nomura desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Nomura.”
Here, the phrase does not literally mean nice to meet you. It closes the introduction and signals: “We are beginning an interaction; I hope it goes well.”
A natural English equivalent depends on tone:
- Nice to meet you.
- I look forward to working with you.
- sometimes simply no extra sentence at all
What happens next?
Nothing specific has necessarily been requested. The expectation is only that the new relationship begins on polite terms.
Situation 2: after a concrete request
金曜日までに確認をお願いします。よろしくお願いします。
Kinyōbi made ni kakunin o onegaishimasu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
“Could you check this by Friday? Thank you.”
Here, the request is already explicit: check something by Friday.
The final yoroshiku onegaishimasu does not add a new unlimited obligation. It softens and closes the request. Depending on the email or workplace, English might use:
- Thank you in advance.
- I’d appreciate your help.
- Thanks for taking a look.
Those are approximations, not exact translations.
Situation 3: starting a shared project
今日からこのプロジェクトを担当します。よろしくお願いします。
Kyō kara kono purojekuto o tantō shimasu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
“I’ll be working on this project from today. I look forward to working with you.”
Now the phrase points to an ongoing working relationship rather than one specific task.
This is why it often appears on the first day of a job, class, committee, or team assignment. The expected “next action” is continued cooperation.
Situation 4: entrusting someone with something
子どものことをよろしくお願いします。
Kodomo no koto o yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
“Please take good care of my child.”
修理、よろしくお願いします。
Shūri, yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
“Thank you for taking care of the repair.”
Here the object is much clearer. You are asking someone to handle a person, object, or task responsibly.
This use is close to “please take care of it,” but again, the exact English depends on what is being entrusted.
Situation 5: closing an email
Business email often ends with a form such as:
よろしくお願いいたします。
Yoroshiku onegai itashimasu.
or a heavier formal version:
何卒よろしくお願い申し上げます。
Nanitozo yoroshiku onegai mōshiagemasu.
In English, the best equivalent may be:
- Best regards if no request is attached
- Thank you for your assistance if there is a request
- I look forward to working with you when the relationship is continuing
The important point is that Japanese can use the same family of expressions where English chooses several different closings.
Casual and formal forms
- よろしく ("favourably, well") — casual; common among friends or peers
- よろしくお願いします — standard polite
- よろしくお願いいたします — more formal/humble
- 何卒よろしくお願い申し上げます — very formal, common in business writing
Shorter does not automatically mean “less obligation.” It mainly changes register and interpersonal distance.
Can you say it back?
Yes.
こちらこそ、よろしくお願いします。
Kochira koso, yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
“Likewise.”
This is common after introductions and at the start of shared work.
What I notice as a native speaker
My own experience is that the phrase often feels like a small verbal handoff: “We both know what happens next; please handle your side kindly.”
That is my interpretation, not a dictionary definition. In some workplaces, the phrase can also make a request feel socially closed before the details have really been negotiated. That is a feature of a particular interaction, not proof that the phrase itself creates an obligation.
Useful mini-dialogues
Introduction
A: はじめまして。佐藤です。
Hajimemashite. Satō desu.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Satō.”
B: 野村です。よろしくお願いします。
Nomura desu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
“I’m Nomura. Nice to meet you / I look forward to working with you.”
Request
A: この資料、今日中に見てもらえますか。
Kono shiryō, kyōjū ni mite moraemasu ka.
“Could you look over this document today?”
B: はい、大丈夫です。
Hai, daijōbu desu.
“Sure.”
A: ありがとうございます。よろしくお願いします。
Arigatō gozaimasu. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
“Thank you. I appreciate it.”
New team
A: 今日から同じチームですね。
Kyō kara onaji chīmu desu ne.
“We’re on the same team from today.”
B: はい。よろしくお願いします。
Hai. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
“Yes. I look forward to working with you.”
Vocabulary
- よろしく ("favourably, well")
- お願いします (onegaishimasu · please, I request)
- 挨拶 (aisatsu · greeting)
- 関係 (kankei · relationship)
- 頼む (tanomu · to ask a favour, to rely on)
- 世話になる (sewa ni naru · to be in someone's care)
Sources & further reading
- 文化庁「敬語の指針・依頼に関する解説」: https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/kokugo_nihongo/kokugo_shisaku/keigo/chapter3/detail.html
- 静岡大学学術リポジトリ（「よろしくお願いします」の機能を扱う研究）: https://shizuoka.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/3083/files/090714001.pdf
- Weblio辞書「よろしくお願いします」: https://www.weblio.jp/content/%E3%82%88%E3%82%8D%E3%81%97%E3%81%8F%E3%81%8A%E9%A1%98%E3%81%84%E3%81%97%E3%81%BE%E3%81%99
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