Lesson 13: 申し訳ありません。和田は他の電話に出ております (Mōshiwake Arimasen. Wada wa Hoka no Denwa ni Dete Orimasu)

Phone Etiquette When Someone is Unavailable

English Title: Answering phone calls for others

🎧 Audio:
Listen to this lesson

Role-play Setup

You work at a company reception desk and are responsible for answering phone calls. A client from K&L Company calls asking for Wada-san, but he’s currently on another call. Then the caller asks for Tanaka-san, who is out of the office. You need to handle the situation professionally using proper phone etiquette and eventually transfer the call when Wada becomes available.

Full Script & Explanation

Scene 1: Answering the Phone

Student:
はい、イージージャパニーズです。
Hai, Ījī Japanīzu desu.
Hello, this is Easy Japanese.

Grammar Note: When answering a phone call at work, begin by saying 「はい」 and then follow up with the company name. Some people follow up by adding their own name on afterward.

Ex. はい、イージージャパニーズ田中です。Hello, this is Easy Japanese, Tanaka speaking.

「もしもし」is generally only appropriate for use when answering personal calls.

Kaneko:
Ｋ＆Ｌカンパニーの金子と申しますが。
K & L Kanpanī no Kaneko to mōshimasu ga.
Hello, I’m Kaneko with K&L Company.

Grammar Note: When introducing yourself and your company, be sure to say both as a set. 「～と申します」is a humble form of「です」. 「～が。」is used to indicate that you are waiting for the listener to respond.

Student:
いつもお世話になっております。
Itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu.
Thank you as always.

Grammar Note: This is a phrase that is used to clients who phone the company. Even if you aren’t personally familiar with the company that is calling, someone at your company likely is, so be sure to use this phrase with a spirit of gratitude.

Kaneko:
お世話になっております。和田さんはいらっしゃいますか。
Osewa ni natte orimasu. Wada-san wa irasshaimasu ka.
Thank you. Is Wada-san there?

Grammar Note: When someone says 「お世話になっております」to you, be sure to respond in kind. To be more polite, you can use 「こちらこそお世話になっております」. After this greeting has been finished, you can ask for the name of the person you’d like to speak to. Use the polite form「いらっしゃいますか」rather than 「いますか」on a business call.

Scene 2: Wada is On Another Call

Student:
申し訳ありません。和田は他の電話に出ております。
Mōshiwake arimasen. Wada wa hoka no denwa ni dete orimasu.
I’m sorry. Wada is on another call.

Grammar Note: 「申し訳ありません」 is a more polite version of 「すみません」. If you are personally very familiar with the caller, it may be acceptable to use 「すみません」. In the sentence 「和田は他の電話に出ております」, use Wada instead of Wada-san as Wada is a member of your company. 「他の電話に出ております」 is used to mean the same thing as 「電話中」（でんわちゅう）, but the former is used more commonly in business situations. Sometimes, 「あいにく他の電話に出ております」(Unfortunately, he is on another call) is used.

🔑 KEY PHRASE

申し訳ありません。和田は他の電話に出ております。
Mōshiwake arimasen. Wada wa hoka no denwa ni dete orimasu.
I’m sorry. Wada is on another call.

Explanation:
When handling business calls, it’s important to:

  1. Apologize politely for the inconvenience
  2. Explain the situation professionally
  3. Drop honorifics for your own company members when talking to outsiders

「申し訳ありません」is more formal than「すみません」and appropriate for business calls.

Notice that we say「和田」not「和田さん」- when talking about colleagues to people outside your company, you don’t use honorifics. However, when talking to Wada directly, you would use「和田さん」.

「他の電話に出ております」is the polite business phrase for “on another call.”

Scene 3: Asking for Someone Else

Kaneko:
では、田中さんはおいででしょうか。
Dewa, Tanaka-san wa oide deshō ka.
In that case, is Tanaka-san there?

Grammar Note: 「では」is a shortened version of「それでは」. 「おいででしょうか」is a more polite form of the verb「いる」. Just saying 「田中さんはいらっしゃいますか」 is also acceptable.

Student:
申し訳ありません。田中は外出しております。
Mōshiwake arimasen. Tanaka wa gaishutsu-shite orimasu.
I’m sorry. Tanaka-san is out of the office right now.

Grammar Note: When Tanaka-san isn’t in the office, use 「田中は外出しております」. Remember not to use -san after the names of coworkers when speaking to clients. 「～ております」is a humble form of「～ています」. Use 「〜中」as in 「外出中」「電話中」「会議中」 when talking within the company, but when speaking to clients, it is better to use full phrases like 「外出しております」or「他の電話に出ております」.

Kaneko:
何時頃にお戻りになるでしょうか？
Nanji goro ni omodori ni naru deshō ka?
What time will she be back?

Grammar Note: 「お戻りになる」is a polite form of「戻ります」. To make this form, use 「お＋ます形の語幹（stem）＋になります」.

Ex.
「お客様はすでにお帰りになりました。」The client has already left.
「来月12日のセミナーでお話しになります。」She will speak at a seminar on the 12th next month.
「こちらでコンピューターをお使いになりますか。」Would you like to use your computer here?

Using「なるでしょうか」rather than 「なりますか」 creates a more polite impression.

Student:
３時に戻る予定です。
Sanji ni modoru yotei desu.
She should be back at 3.

Grammar Note: To let the client know the planned time of return, use the phrase「戻る予定です」. When talking about people in your own company to clients, be sure NOT to use the polite phrase 「お戻りになります」.

Scene 4: Offering to Have Wada Call Back

Kaneko:
そうかぁ。
Sō kaa.
I see…

Grammar Note: 「そうかぁ。」can be taken to be the speaker talking to themself. It serves the purpose of letting the listener know that the speaker is thinking about what action to take next. The tone can convey the feelings of the speaker.

Student:
よろしければ、和田から折り返し電話させましょうか。
Yoroshikereba, Wada kara orikaeshi denwa sasemasō ka.
Shall I have Wada call you back?

Grammar Note: 「よろしければ」 is a more polite form of 「よければ」. 「折り返し」is used to mean that Wada will call back as soon as he returns to the company. In this case, the speaker is asking if having Wada himself call back is the best course of action. 「電話させましょうか」 (Shall I have him call you back?) is also often used to show that you will ask Wada (a person within your company) to call back.

Kaneko:
ああ！助かります。
Aa! Tasukarimasu.
Oh, that would be great.

Grammar Note: 「ああ！」is an expression that in this case is used to relay gratitude. 「助かります」is used to relay the honest gratitude of the speaker.

Scene 5: Wada Becomes Available

Student:
あ、今、和田の電話が終わりました。少々お待ちください。
A, ima, Wada no denwa ga owarimashita. Shōshō omachi kudasai.
Oh, Wada just finished his call. Please wait a moment.

Grammar Note: The exclamation 「あ、」is used as a reaction to the speaker noticing that Wada has finished his other call. To politely ask a client to wait, use 「少々お待ちください」. 「お待ちください」 is used as a shortened version of 「お待ちになってください」. To be more casual, use 「ちょっと待ってください」, but be sure not to use this on phone calls with clients.

Student:
Ｋ＆Ｌカンパニーの金子さんからお電話です。
K & L Kanpanī no Kaneko-san kara odenwa desu.
You have a call from Mr. Kaneko with K&L Company.

Grammar Note: When transferring a phone call to a coworker, use the phrase 「～からお電話です」.

Wada:
ありがとう。
Arigatō.
Thanks.

Vocabulary

電話 (でんわ) - denwa - phone calls

Answering business phone calls can be tricky at first, but by taking steps like writing commonly used phrases on sticky notes by the phone, they will become easier.

In recent years, email communication has become more common. However, phone calls remain an important tool for urgent matters or matters that require direct communication. Though phone calls have the merit of a quick response, be sure not to make calls outside of office hours.

Related terms:

折り返し (おりかえし) - orikaeshi - call back

If you have received a call while out of the office, be sure to call back as soon as possible. But don’t rush. Prepare a notepad, go over likely topics of conversation, and find a quiet place from which to make the call. When the person who called you answers, say 「先ほどお電話をいただきありがとうございました。電話に出られずすみませんでした」(Thank you for your call. I’m sorry that I wasn’t available.) or「不在にしており、すみませんでした」(I’m sorry for not being able to take the call.).

Usage examples:

Cultural Notes

Business Phone Etiquette in Japan

Japanese business phone etiquette is quite formal and follows specific patterns:

  1. Opening: Always start with「はい」+ company name, never「もしもし」
  2. Gratitude: Use「お世話になっております」with business contacts
  3. Humble language: Drop honorifics for your own company members
  4. Respectful language: Use honorifics for the caller and people at their company
  5. Waiting phrases: Use「少々お待ちください」not「ちょっと待ってください」

The お世話になっております Exchange

This ritualized greeting is essential in Japanese business calls:

Dropping Honorifics for Internal Staff

When talking to outsiders about your own company members:

Grammar Points

1. ～ております - Humble continuous form

The humble form of ～ています, used when describing your company’s actions to outsiders.

Formation: [Verb て-form] + おります

Examples:

2. お～になる - Respectful verb form

Used to show respect for the actions of others.

Formation: お + [verb stem] + になる

Examples:

3. いらっしゃる - Respectful form of いる

One of the irregular respectful verbs.

Usage:

4. Causative + ましょうか - Offering to have someone do something

Formation: [Verb causative form] + ましょうか

Examples:

Tips from this Dialogue

  1. Never use もしもし in business calls - Always start with「はい」+ company name

  2. Master the お世話になっております exchange - It’s expected in all business calls with external contacts

  3. Remember to drop honorifics for internal staff - 和田 not 和田さん when talking to outsiders

  4. Use humble forms for your company’s actions - ～ております instead of ～ています

  5. Offer solutions proactively - Don’t just say someone is unavailable; offer to have them call back

  6. Use proper waiting phrases - 少々お待ちください not ちょっと待ってください

Keigo (Polite Language)

Humble Forms (謙譲語)

Respectful Forms (尊敬語)

Polite Forms (丁寧語)

Kanji

話 (talk, speak)

Readings:

Compounds:

Practice Points

  1. Phone opening phrases - Proper business phone greetings
  2. Humble vs. respectful language - When to use each
  3. Handling unavailable colleagues - Professional responses
  4. Offering callbacks - Using causative forms
  5. Time expressions - ～時に戻る予定です

Source: NHK WORLD-JAPAN “Easy Japanese for Work” Lesson 13
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/tv/easyjapaneseforwork/skit13.html