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Meishi: How to Exchange a Japanese Business Card

Meishi koukan is a small ceremony: two hands, a slight bow, reading the card, placing it on the table. Here's the sequence professionals expect.

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Offering the card with one hand

A tourist sliding a business card one-handed across a meeting table toward a Japanese businessman
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Flicking your business card across the table or handing it over with one hand

Japanese business card exchange is a two-hand ritual. Offering a card with one hand—especially tossing it or sliding it across a table—can look careless. The two-hand presentation is the standard professional move in formal business settings, so getting this wrong on a first meeting can leave a poor first impression.

A tourist holding a business card by both top corners with the text turned toward a Japanese businessman, presenting it with a small bow
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Hold the card with both hands, Japanese side facing the recipient, present with a small bow

Hold your card with both hands by the edges, fingers off the name and logo, with the Japanese (or English) side facing the recipient—so they can read it as you hand it over. Present the card forward with a slight bow (15-30 degrees), using a phrase like 'hajimemashite, [your name] to moushimasu' ('nice to meet you, I'm [name]') or 'yoroshiku onegaishimasu' ('looking forward to working with you'). The recipient takes your card with both hands in return.

Pocketing the received card immediately

A tourist taking an offered business card with one hand and pushing it straight down into a back trouser pocket
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Taking the card with one hand and immediately stuffing it into your pocket or wallet

Once you receive someone's card, immediately putting it away—especially into a back pocket or a wallet you sit on—is considered rude. The card represents the person, and how you handle the card mirrors how you're treating them. Shoving it into a wallet immediately implies the card (and the person) is unimportant.

A tourist receiving a business card with both hands, reading it, then laying it on the table in front of their seat
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Receive with both hands, look at the card, set it on the table in front of you

Accept the card with both hands, read it briefly (name, title, company), and then place it on the table in front of you—often on the left side, resting on top of your card case. If you're at a meeting with multiple people, arrange the cards on the table in the order the people are sitting, so you can reference names as the meeting progresses. Keep the card on the table throughout the meeting, and only put it away when the meeting ends.

Writing on the received card during the meeting

A tourist scribbling a note on the back of a received business card with a pen
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Making notes on the back of the received card, or using it as a place to jot down phone numbers

Writing on a received business card in front of the person is widely considered rude—you're marking up something that represents them. Even jotting a phone number on the back mid-meeting looks careless. While the meeting is on, the card should stay as you received it.

A tourist writing a note in a small open notebook while the received business card lies untouched on the table
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Use a separate notebook or note-taking app for any notes

Keep a small notebook or note-taking app for jotting down things about the meeting and the person you met. Write 'name: [X], company: [Y], discussed: [Z]' in your notes, not on the card itself. Some people add a date or reminder to the card later, back at their own desk—but never in front of the person who gave it to you.

Running out of cards or arriving without them

A tourist patting empty pockets at a meeting table with no cards left, while a Japanese businessman holds one out to them
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Showing up to a business meeting with no meishi, or with only a few and running out partway through

In Japanese business culture, arriving at a meeting without meishi to exchange can look unprepared. Running out partway through, especially if there are more people than you expected, means apologizing ('meishi wo kirashite orimashite') and taking their card without giving one back.

A tourist opening a slim leather card case packed with a thick stack of business cards
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Always carry more cards than you think you'll need, in a dedicated meishi holder

Carry a dedicated meishi holder (small leather or metal case specifically for business cards) with plenty of spares. Bring more than the number of people you expect to meet—you might get introduced to their colleagues on the way out. The meishi holder also protects the cards from getting bent or damaged in your bag. Meishi holders are sold at stationery stores and department stores.

Why a business card is treated like a handshake

The meishi exchange isn’t about swapping contact info — it’s a small ceremony that opens a professional relationship. Two hands, a slight bow, careful reading, placement on the table. Every step signals: “I’m giving this relationship my full attention.” Getting it right is part of making a good first impression.

There’s also a brutally practical reason: Japanese meetings often involve multiple people with complex names and titles. Laying the cards on the table in seating order gives you a physical cheat sheet for the entire conversation. It’s elegant and genuinely useful.

Two hands out, two hands in, card on the table, leave it there. That’s the whole ritual.

What the exchange actually looks like

  • Present — Hold your card with both hands, Japanese side facing the recipient. Slight bow. “Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.”
  • Receive — Accept with both hands. Actually read it — name, title, company. A brief moment of genuine attention.
  • Place — Set the card on the table in front of you, often on the left, on top of your card case. Multiple cards? Arrange them in seating order.
  • Don’t touch it again — The card stays on the table for the duration of the meeting. Put it away only when the meeting ends.

A few “nice to know” extras

  • Bilingual cards — Some Japanese professionals who deal with overseas contacts carry cards with Japanese on one side, English on the other. If you’re printing cards for a Japan trip, do the same — your name in katakana plus company and title on the Japanese side.
  • The hierarchy dance — In formal settings, there’s an order: the junior person or the visitor usually offers first, and in group meetings the most senior people exchange first. If you’re unsure, follow the other side’s lead.
  • Carry a meishi holder — A dedicated card case (sold at stationery and department stores) protects your cards and signals you take the ritual seriously. Pulling a bent card from your back pocket does the opposite.
  • Digital meishi exist — Card apps such as Eight let people share a digital card by QR code, but paper exchanges are still common. Bring physical cards as your default and treat digital as a bonus.

Quick check

Three questions to lock in the meishi exchange.

Quick check

Can you spot the right move?

  1. Q1 Should you hand a Japanese business card with one hand?

  2. Q2 Is it okay to immediately put a received business card into your wallet?

  3. Q3 Is it okay to write notes on the back of a business card you received, during the meeting?