From their cars, in shops and restaurants, on the street, in schools, and at their workplaces, Japanese people use bows to communicate status and express appreciation. Bows are a way to say “I'm sorry,” “Thank you,” “Nice to meet you,” and “Excuse me.” People bow as a way to start conversations, acknowledge someone's presence, and as a parting gesture. You may even see people bowing while they are talking on the phone.

How to Bow

Anytime you are meeting someone for the first time, it is polite (and also culturally sensitive) to start with a bow. The angles for bowing vary from a shallow fifteen degrees (usually only made by the president of a company, school principal, or the prime minister) to a full forty-five-degree bow. Make your bows low and slightly long, and you will offend no one.

Men bow with their hands at their sides, heels together. Women touch their hands together in front. Your back should be straight and your eyes downcast.

The Do-It-All Verb

“To bow” in Japanese, is ojigi suru. Suru, “to do,” is an all-encompassing verb that is often combined with other words: kaimono suru (“to go shopping”), ai suru (“to love”), kenka suru (“to fight”). It can often be found following katakana-style English verbs in an effort to make them more Japanese.

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Suru is the regular form; shimasu is the more formal word. Conjugations of this verb mostly start with the formal root shi. To make a negative, use the formal root shi and add -nai: shinai.

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To make the command form, add -te: shite. For the past tense, use -ta.

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Please note that the first word (in most cases, the noun) is not modified; only the second word, the verb suru, is conjugated.