Formal to Client
Workplace · Socializing
本日はお越しいただき、誠にありがとうございます。ささやかですが、乾杯! — Thank you sincerely for coming today. Just a modest gathering, but — cheers! (Workplace · Socializing, Formal to Client, JLPT N3)
You
本日はお越しいただき、誠にありがとうございます。ささやかですが、乾杯!
ほんじつはおこしいただき、まことにありがとうございます。ささやかですが、かんぱい!
Thank you sincerely for coming today. Just a modest gathering, but — cheers!
Romaji: Honjitsu wa okoshi itadaki, makoto ni arigatou gozaimasu. Sasayaka desu ga, kanpai! / Reply Romaji: Kanpai!
Reply
乾杯!
かんぱい!
Cheers!
Gesture & etiquette
Stand at host's signal. Hold your glass slightly lower than the most senior guest's glass during the clink (shows humility). Make eye contact around the table. Sip — never down it. Refill others' glasses preemptively, never your own.
Business 接待 (settai, hospitality) toast. The host gives a brief 1-2 sentence welcome before the 乾杯. 'ささやかですが' (modestly but) is the standard humble phrase even at expensive restaurants. Watch glass height — yours must be slightly lower than any senior person's. Refill others' glasses preemptively; an empty senior's glass is a faux pas.