Friendly to Colleague
Workplace · Socializing
分からないことがあれば、何でも気軽に聞いてくださいね。みんな最初はそうだったから。 — If there's anything you don't understand, please feel free to ask anything. Everyone was new once. (Workplace · Socializing, Friendly to Colleague, JLPT N4)
You
分からないことがあれば、何でも気軽に聞いてくださいね。みんな最初はそうだったから。
わからないことがあれば、なんでもきがるにきいてくださいね。みんなさいしょはそうだったから。
If there's anything you don't understand, please feel free to ask anything. Everyone was new once.
Romaji: Wakaranai koto ga areba, nan demo kigaru ni kiite kudasai ne. Minna saisho wa sou datta kara. / Reply Romaji: Hai, arigatou gozaimasu. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.
Reply
はい、ありがとうございます。よろしくお願いします。
はい、ありがとうございます。よろしくおねがいします。
Yes, thank you. Looking forward to working together.
Gesture & etiquette
Warm, open posture facing the new person. Light smile, sincere eye contact. Hand gesture might rest gently on their shoulder if rapport is established (more common between same-gender). Avoid towering — sit if they're sitting. The tone should feel like genuine welcome, not formality.
Welcoming a new colleague (shinjin) with reassurance reduces their anxiety about asking 'stupid questions.' 'Kigaru ni' (lightly/casually) explicitly grants permission to interrupt. 'Minna saisho wa sou datta' (everyone started this way) creates solidarity — a powerful Japanese workplace value. Senior colleagues offering this kind of welcome are seen as exemplary.