Small Talk at Work in Japanese: Lunch, Breaks and Nomikai
Many international employees can handle meetings and emails in Japanese but feel lost in the moments in between: the lift, the lunch queue, the five minutes before a meeting starts, the work drinks. Those moments are where relationships at a Japanese company are built. Small talk in Japanese follows a few simple patterns, and once you know them, it gets much easier. Here is how it works, with phrases for each situation.
How Japanese small talk works
Japanese workplace small talk is light, positive and safe. Its job is to show friendliness and keep things smooth, not to share strong opinions. Typical safe topics are the weather and seasons, food, weekends and holidays, where someone is from, and hobbies. Topics to avoid at work, unless a colleague raises them, include salary, politics, religion and very personal questions.
Listening matters as much as talking. Japanese conversation uses a lot of 相槌 (aizuchi), the small reactions that show you are following: そうですね, へえ, なるほど. Using them well makes you sound natural even if you don’t say much.
Everyday phrases
| Japanese | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 今日は暑いですね | kyō wa atsui desu ne | It’s hot today, isn’t it? (Swap in 寒い, cold.) |
| 週末は何かしましたか？ | shūmatsu wa nani ka shimashita ka? | Did you do anything at the weekend? |
| お昼、もう食べましたか？ | ohiru, mō tabemashita ka? | Have you had lunch yet? |
| それ、おいしそうですね | sore, oishisō desu ne | That looks delicious. |
| ご出身はどちらですか？ | goshusshin wa dochira desu ka? | Where are you from? (Polite.) |
| 最近忙しいですか？ | saikin isogashii desu ka? | Have you been busy lately? |
| へえ、そうなんですね | hē, sō nan desu ne | Oh, I see. (Showing interest.) |
Before and after meetings
The few minutes before a meeting starts are a classic small-talk moment, especially with visitors. A comment about the weather or the journey is ideal: 今日は遠いところ、ありがとうございます (kyō wa tōi tokoro, arigatō gozaimasu, thank you for coming all this way). Afterwards, a simple お疲れさまでした (otsukaresama deshita) to colleagues closes things warmly. For the meeting itself, see our guide to running meetings with Japanese partners.
Lunch and breaks
Lunch is often the most relaxed time of the working day. If colleagues invite you, say yes when you can; it matters more than you might think. Asking for recommendations is an easy way in: この辺でおすすめのお店はありますか？ (kono hen de osusume no omise wa arimasu ka?, are there any places you’d recommend around here?). People also enjoy talking about food from your country, so be ready to describe it.
Work drinks (nomikai)
A 飲み会 (nomikai) is a work dinner with drinks, from a welcome party to the end-of-year 忘年会 (bōnenkai). A few customs help:
- Wait for the first toast, 乾杯 (kanpai), before you drink.
- Keep an eye on others’ glasses and offer to top them up, especially seniors’.
- You don’t have to drink alcohol. Ordering a soft drink is normal; ウーロン茶でお願いします (ūroncha de onegai shimasu) works well.
- The mood is more relaxed than at the office, but stay polite with senior colleagues.
- The next day, thank whoever organised or paid: 昨日はごちそうさまでした (kinō wa gochisōsama deshita).
Polite or casual?
With seniors and people you don’t know well, stay in polite です・ます Japanese. With colleagues your own age, many workplaces drift into casual speech over time, but let them lead. When in doubt, polite is never wrong. Our guide to casual vs polite Japanese explains the difference.
Practising small talk
Small talk is hard to learn from a book because it is fast and unpredictable. It improves quickly with practice, though, and a tutor can role-play exactly the situations you face: the lift, lunch, the nomikai, the client visit. Many professionals find that a few weeks of this practice changes how comfortable they feel at work. For more on the bigger picture, see Japanese workplace culture.