Japanese Interview Keigo Phrases That Sound Professional

Professional interview Japanese does not mean using the longest possible keigo. Use stable desu/masu, a small set of correct respectful and humble forms, considerate requests and concise answers. Clear intent and evidence matter more than ornamental politeness.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs guidance emphasizes context, relationship and consideration. It also warns that double honorifics are generally inappropriate, although a few conventional forms are established.

Key takeaways

Make desu/masu consistent first.
Use onsha in speech and kisha in formal writing.
Elevate the interviewer; humble your relevant action.
Do not add sama after a job title.
Avoid unnecessary double honorifics.
Use a soft preface for requests.
Clarify when a question is unclear.
Practice follow-ups so keigo does not become a rigid script.

In this guide: core principle · opening · company words · clarification · answers · closing · mistakes · research

The core keigo principle

Japanese honorific language reflects the speaker's relationship to people and actions.

Sonkeigo: raises the other person's action.
Kenjougo: lowers the speaker's action in relation to the other person.
Teineigo: uses polite sentence style such as desu/masu.

For an interview, first make every sentence polite and understandable. Then apply a few reliable forms.

Bad strategy: transform every verb into the longest form you remember.

Better strategy: identify who performs the action, whether it affects the interviewer, and what degree of formality the situation needs.

Review Japanese job interview questions and answers and interview self-introduction for answer content.

Opening the interview

Entering or joining online

失礼いたします。— Excuse me as I enter/join.
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 time today.
〇〇と申します。本日はよろしくお願いいたします。— My name is X. Thank you for meeting with me.

For online interviews:

音声は聞こえております。— I can hear the audio.
こちらの声は聞こえていますでしょうか。— Can you hear me?

Do not repeat elaborate thanks for several minutes. Move into the requested introduction.

Onsha, kisha and your current company

The interviewer's company

御社 (onsha): conventional spoken form.
貴社 (kisha): conventional written form.

Example:

御社の海外事業に、これまでの営業経験を生かして貢献したいと考えております。

Your current or former company

Do not call your own company onsha. Use:

現職では— In my current role/company.
前職では— In my previous role/company.
現在勤務している会社では— At the company where I currently work.

Titles

Use Tanaka-buchou or buchou depending context, not Tanaka-buchou-sama. A title already functions honorifically.

Reliable interview verbs

Plain meaning	Professional form	Example use
say	申し上げる	結論から申し上げますと…
ask/listen	伺う	一点、伺ってもよろしいでしょうか。
see/read	拝見する	求人情報を拝見し…
know	存じる/存じ上げる	その制度について存じております。
receive	いただく	お時間をいただき…
go/come	伺う/参る	本日、面接に伺いました。

Use the form only when its relationship is correct. Do not force humble language onto every neutral action.

Clarification and thinking time

Ask for repetition

恐れ入りますが、もう一度お願いできますか。
申し訳ございません。最後の部分をもう一度お願いできますでしょうか。

Confirm meaning

〇〇という意味でよろしいでしょうか。
質問の意図を確認させてください。
〇〇についての経験をお答えすればよろしいでしょうか。

Ask for thinking time

少し考える時間をいただいてもよろしいでしょうか。
はい。結論から整理してお答えします。

This is professional repair, not failure. Use Japanese phone-call phrases and Japanese conversation at work for more clarification patterns.

Professional answer phrases

Start directly

はい。理由は二つあります。
結論から申し上げますと、〇〇です。
私の強みは〇〇です。

Introduce evidence

具体的には、〇〇という経験があります。
前職では、〇〇を担当しておりました。
その際、私が行ったことは三つあります。

Explain result

その結果、〇〇を20％改善できました。
この経験から、〇〇の重要性を学びました。
御社でも、この経験を〇〇に生かせると考えております。

Do not use humble language to hide the actual result. Evidence should remain precise.

Motivation phrases

御社を志望した理由は二点ございます。
これまでの〇〇の経験を生かせると考えたためです。
御社が〇〇に力を入れている点に魅力を感じました。
〇〇の分野で、長期的に専門性を高めたいと考えております。

Avoid empty prestige praise. Connect company fact, experience and contribution.

For role language, review Japanese office-job requirements, engineering-job requirements, and sales-job requirements.

Strength and weakness phrases

Strength

私の強みは、〇〇できる点です。
この強みを発揮した例として、〇〇があります。
御社の〇〇業務でも生かせると考えております。

Weakness

私の課題は〇〇です。
以前は〇〇という影響がありました。
現在は、〇〇することで改善しています。

"Weakness" does not need excessive apology. Show self-awareness and action.

Discussing Japanese ability

JLPT N2に合格しております。
業務では、メールと定例会議で日本語を使用しています。
電話対応にはまだ課題があるため、週に二回練習しています。
分からない点は、確認してから対応するようにしています。

State certificate and real usage separately. Read why JLPT does not test speaking and JLPT score report guide.

Asking the employer questions

一点、伺ってもよろしいでしょうか。
入社後6か月で期待される成果を教えていただけますか。
チームの構成について伺えますでしょうか。
評価の基準について教えていただけますか。
今後の選考の流れを伺ってもよろしいでしょうか。

Use a preface because a request creates a burden, as Agency for Cultural Affairs guidance explains. Do not add several layers of apology to a normal question.

Closing the interview

本日は貴重なお時間をいただき、ありがとうございました。
お話を伺い、御社で働きたいという気持ちがさらに強くなりました。
引き続き、どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。
失礼いたします。

Keep the closing brief. Do not introduce a new five-minute achievement after the interviewer closes.

Common keigo mistakes

Double honorific

Avoid forms such as お読みになられる when お読みになる is sufficient. The Agency for Cultural Affairs identifies same-type stacking as generally inappropriate, while noting a few conventional exceptions.

Raising your own action

Incorrect logic: 私がご覧になります.

Use 拝見します for your act of viewing something from the company.

Wrong company word

Do not call your own current employer 御社. Use 現職 or 前職.

Title plus sama

Avoid 部長様. Use 部長 or 田中部長.

Overusing sasete itadaku

Use it when receiving relevant permission/benefit; do not attach it mechanically to every action. Simple いたします or します can be better.

Long memorized sentence

If you cannot adapt it, simplify. Professional Japanese survives follow-up questions.

Natural versus over-polite examples

Overloaded	Simpler professional version
ご質問をお伺いさせていただいてもよろしいでしょうか	一点、伺ってもよろしいでしょうか
私のほうからご説明させていただきます	私からご説明いたします
こちらが私の履歴書になります	こちらが私の履歴書です
お名前を頂戴してもよろしいですか	お名前を伺ってもよろしいですか

Context can change what is natural. Learn the function, not a blacklist without context.

A five-stage keigo practice method

Write the answer in simple desu/masu.
Mark actions performed by interviewer and candidate.
Replace only high-value verbs.
Shorten stacked phrases.
Practice random follow-ups.

Record yourself and check whether the main answer remains easy to understand.

Use Japanese shadowing practice, business Japanese conversation practice, and a 30-minute daily routine.

Start a free Japanese keigo interview and ask for corrections that preserve naturalness.

Try another free interview session with faster follow-ups.

Practice Japanese speaking free until clarification phrases are automatic.

Keigo by interview stage

Recruiter screen

Clear polite Japanese, availability and status matter. Avoid overly ceremonial answers.

Hiring manager

Use precise role vocabulary, evidence and professional requests.

Executive/final interview

Maintain respectful tone but keep strategic answers direct. Complex honorifics cannot replace business judgment.

Informal interview

Stay polite unless explicitly invited to relax. Informal does not mean casual slang.

For customer-facing work, use Japanese customer-service phrases and customer-support job guide.

Email before and after the interview

Interview keigo also appears in scheduling email. Keep messages short enough that the action is obvious.

Confirming an appointment

Use a clear subject, thank the sender, repeat the date/time and state that you will attend. Example structure:

面接日程のご連絡をいただき、ありがとうございます。10月30日（金）14時に伺います。当日はどうぞよろしくお願いいたします。

For an online interview, confirm the platform and say that you have received the link. Do not write a long motivation essay in the scheduling thread.

Requesting another time

Apologize briefly, give two or three alternatives and avoid unnecessary personal detail:

恐れ入りますが、ご提示いただいた時間は都合がつかないため、下記の日程で再調整いただくことは可能でしょうか。

Do not say only that the proposed time is impossible. Make the request easy to process.

Sending a requested document

Name the attachment and purpose, and confirm that it is attached. Avoid password or personal-data practices not requested by the company. Never send identity documents to an unverified address.

Thank-you message

A brief message can thank the interviewer, mention one relevant point and confirm continued interest. Do not send a second full answer set or repeatedly ask for the decision date when the process was already explained.

The Japanese office-job guide includes more workplace writing context.

How to recover from a keigo mistake

If you notice a mistake, correct it once and continue:

失礼しました。〇〇と申し上げましたが、正しくは△△です。
言い方が分かりにくく、申し訳ありません。つまり、〇〇です。

Do not restart the entire answer or apologize repeatedly. Interviewers usually care more about whether you communicate and recover professionally.

When you cannot recall a humble verb, use accurate desu/masu. Replacing a forgotten 拝見しました with 見ました is less formal but safer than producing an incorrect form that obscures meaning. After the interview, add the failed phrase to a small repair list and practice it in several contexts.

Practice keigo as choices, not substitutions

Create three versions of the same function: colleague, manager and external interviewer. Compare the amount of preface, verb form and directness. This teaches TPO instead of a mechanical table where every plain verb has one universal honorific replacement. Record random prompts so you must choose the relationship before speaking. Then check whether the request still sounds like a request rather than a command hidden inside polite vocabulary.

Final keigo checklist

Consistent desu/masu.
Correct onsha/kisha use.
No title plus sama.
Reliable opening and closing.
Polite repetition and clarification.
Simple request prefaces.
Evidence remains clear.
No unnecessary double honorifics.
Answers adapt to follow-ups.
Naturalness before decoration.

How we researched

We reviewed the Agency for Cultural Affairs Keigo guidelines and learning materials, official Japanese employment-support resources and the interview-preparation workflow on 22 October 2026.

Phrases are adaptable models, not mandatory scripts for every company or relationship.

Sources

About SoraSpeak: SoraSpeak is an AI Japanese speaking-practice web app at https://soraspeak.com. It provides three free spoken sessions per day without a credit card. Support: soraspeaksupport@gmail.com.

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FAQ

Do I need perfect keigo for a Japanese job interview?

No. Consistent desu/masu, correct greetings, polite requests and clear answers matter more than complicated honorific forms. A role may expect advanced keigo, but excessive or incorrect forms can sound less professional than simple accurate Japanese.

Should I say onsha or kisha in an interview?

Use onsha when speaking about the interviewer's company. Kisha is the conventional written form in application documents. In natural speech, candidates can also name the company when that is clearer, while avoiding repetitive use in every sentence.

How do I ask an interviewer to repeat a question politely?

Use a short request such as 'Osoreirimasu ga, mou ichido onegai dekimasu ka' or confirm the meaning with '...to iu imi de yoroshii deshou ka.' Clarifying accurately is better than pretending to understand.

Is ukagawasete itadakimasu always correct?

No. Keigo depends on action, relationship and context. Stacking humble and permission forms can become heavy or illogical. Use established simple forms such as ukagaimasu when appropriate and focus on who performs the action and whom it concerns.

What keigo mistakes are common in interviews?

Common problems include double honorifics, elevating one's own actions with respectful language, calling one's own company onsha, using a title plus sama, and memorizing long phrases that collapse during follow-up questions.