Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "とおく" vs "はじめまして"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
とおく
とおく (tooku)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
はじめまして
はじめまして (hajimemashite)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both とおく and はじめまして are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
とおく (とおく (tooku)) represents "far, distant" (Level: N5) and typically represents Describes distance. Opposite of ちかく.
On the other hand, はじめまして (はじめまして (hajimemashite)) translates to "Nice to meet you; How do you do?" (Level: N5) and is used for Used when meeting someone for the first time. Often followed by 「どうぞよろしく。」. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "とおく"
わたしの家は会社から遠いです。
My house is far from the office.
Bilingual Sentence for "はじめまして"
はじめまして。田中と申します。
Nice to meet you. My name is Tanaka.
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "わたしの家は会社から遠いです。" (Meaning: "My house is far from the office.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "とおく" fits here because it represents "far, distant" in the context: "My house is far from the office.".