お願いします is actually two words, お願い (request) and します (polite form of “suru”, to do or to make). It literally translates as “I am humbly making a request” and is a fairly formal way to ask for favors. This is another common phrase that sticks out in most Japanese media, so see if you can find it in your favorite show, book, game or comic.
Vocabulary
はじめまして = nice to meet you
よろしく = please treat me well;
please take care of things
お願いします = おねがいします = please (very polite)
Transcript
言語ガールズ #52
Politely Pleasant
Blue: When you first meet someone it’s polite to say はじめまして
Blue: And after introducing yourself you should say よろしく
Blue: It’s even more polite to say よろしくお願いします instead of plain よろしく
Yellow: So a full introduction would be something like:
Yellow: はじめまして。私はSchneiderです。よろしくお願いします。
Blue: You’re really stuck on this “Schneider” thing, aren’t you?
Yellow: It has four consonants in a row!