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よろしく yoroshiku
I'm counting on you — and you on me.
What does yoroshiku mean?
Said whenever you start anything with someone. It means let's do this well and I'm counting on you, at the same time.
Example
明日からよろしく。
Looking forward to working together from tomorrow.
Vibe
Who you can say this to, and how it lands.
Safe to use Fine in ordinary conversation.
Culture note
Impossible to translate cleanly: it is a promise, a greeting and a small bow, all folded into four syllables.
The story behind yoroshiku
よろしく is the adverb form of 良い, so the literal content is roughly do it well. What makes it untranslatable is everything hanging off that. At a first meeting it is nice to meet you. Starting a project it is I am counting on you. Handing over a job it is please handle this. Four syllables carrying a greeting, a request and a small bow.
It also marks time. 今年もよろしく resets a friendship every January, and よろしくお願いします closes emails from strangers and colleagues alike. Learners often skip it because nothing in their language matches. Skipping it is exactly what makes you sound cold.
Get yoroshiku in your pocket
よろしく is one of 308 words in YABAI, a Japanese culture snack for Android. Every word comes with its meaning, an example sentence, a vibe check and a story like the one above — in 13 languages, read aloud by your device. Paid app: no ads, no sign-up, no subscription.
