よろしく
よろしく
yoroshiku
= please treat me favorably; thanks in advance; nice to meet you
よろしく is the phrase that has no clean English match, a single greeting that can mean nice to meet you, please take care of this, and thanks in advance, all wrapped in a hopeful request for goodwill.
よろしく asks the listener to look upon you, or some matter you are entrusting, favorably. At a first meeting, よろしくお願いします works as nice to meet you (I hope we get along). When handing off a task, the same phrase means please take care of it, thanks in advance. It expresses a wish for a smooth, cooperative relationship rather than conveying any single fixed message.
Learn the set forms: よろしくお願いします for polite situations, the casual よろしく or よろしくね among friends, and the very formal よろしくお願いいたします in business. Because it has no exact English equivalent, resist translating it word for word; instead match it to the moment, meeting someone, asking a favor, or closing an email. It frequently ends self-introductions and requests.
よろしく is the adverbial form of the adjective よろしい, a polite word for good or fine, so it literally means in a good way or favorably. It is almost always written in hiragana. The fuller, more polite expression adds お願いします (I make a request), giving please, favorably, I ask of you, which is the heart of the phrase.
Formal / Cultural context
初めまして、田中です。どうぞよろしくお願いします。
Hajimemashite, Tanaka desu. Douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu.
Nice to meet you, I’m Tanaka. I look forward to getting along.
Casual / Social Media
明日の準備、ちょっと任せちゃうけどよろしくね！
Ashita no junbi, chotto makasechau kedo yoroshiku ne!
I’m leaving tomorrow’s prep to you a bit, so thanks in advance!
Everyday use
新しいチームに加わることになりました、よろしくお願いいたします。
Atarashii chiimu ni kuwawaru koto ni narimashita, yoroshiku onegaiitashimasu.
I’ll be joining the new team; I look forward to working with you all.
よろしく captures a way of relating in which you openly ask others for their goodwill and cooperation up front. Rather than stating exactly what you want, the phrase gently places the relationship itself in the other person’s care, trusting them to act kindly. This indirectness, leaning on shared goodwill instead of explicit demands, is characteristic of Japanese social interaction.
Its heavy use in introductions and at the close of requests and emails makes よろしく a kind of social glue. Saying it signals that you intend to cooperate and hope the other will too, smoothing the start of nearly any relationship or task. For learners, getting comfortable with よろしくお願いします is one of the clearest signs of moving from textbook Japanese into how people actually connect.