宜しく

Japanese

Kanji in this term
宜
よろ Grade: S
kun’yomi

Alternative spellings
4649 (eye dialect) 夜露死苦 (eye dialect)

Japanese phrasebook

This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonality.

Alternative forms

• (slang) 4(よ)6(ろ)4(し)9(く) (yoroshiku)
• (slang) 夜(よ)露(ろ)死(し)苦(く) (yoroshiku)
• (informal, dialectical) よろしゅう (yoroshū)

Etymology

Regular -ku adverbial form of -i adjective 宜しい (yoroshii, “good”, polite, formal). Use as an interjection arose as a contraction of the longer phrase 宜しくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu, “please think well of me”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) よろ​しく [yòróꜜshìkù] (Nakadaka – [2])
• (Tokyo) よろしく [yòróshíkú] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [jo̞ɾo̞ɕikɯ̟ᵝ]

Adverb

宜(よろ)しく • (yoroshiku) 

1. (polite, formal) well, acceptably

Interjection

宜(よろ)しく • (yoroshiku) 

1. pleased to meet you
   • 2002 March 9, Hotta, Yumi; Obata, Takeshi, “第(だい)131局(きょく)　試(ため)される伊(い)角(すみ) [Game 131: Isumi’s Endeavor]”, in ヒカルの碁 [Hikaru’s Go], volume 16 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN, page 55:

     今日(きょう)はオレ１日(にち)部(へ)屋(や)にいたからさ　今(いま)　君(きみ)のこと聞(き)いたんだ　よろしく　楊(ヤン)海(ハイ)だ

     Kyō wa ore ichi-nichi heya ni itakarasa Ima kimi no koto kiitanda Yoroshiku Yan Hai da

     I was in my room all day, so I only heard about you just now. I’m Yang Hai, nice to meet you.

2. best regards

Usage notes

Most commonly written all in hiragana as よろしく. The kanji spelling is generally reserved for formal contexts.

As noted above, use as an interjection arose as a contraction of the longer phrase 宜しくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu, “please think well of me”). Also encountered as the full formal phrase どうぞ宜しくお願いします (dōzo yoroshiku onegai shimasu), and the abbreviated form どうぞ宜しく (dōzo yoroshiku).