Negotiation Audio

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to follow and understand key phrases and conversational flow in a natural-speed Japanese negotiation audio. You'll learn to catch common expressions used for proposing, agreeing, disagreeing, and compromising.

Negotiation in Japanese relies heavily on keigo (polite language) and indirect expressions to maintain harmony while discussing differences. In audio, you’ll hear shortened forms, fillers, and speed changes. The core skill is recognizing patterned phrases even when spoken quickly.

1. Opening the negotiation (提案を始める - teian o hajimeru)

Speakers often start with a polite buffer before stating their position.

• 「～についてですが…」 (～ni tsuite desu ga…) – "Regarding…"
• 「まず、こちらの提案を…」 (mazu, kochira no teian o…) – "First, our proposal…"提案

Audio tip: Listen for the pause after ですが (desu ga). It signals the main point is coming.

2. Making a proposal (提案する - teian suru)

Common structures:

• 「～していただけませんか？」 (～shite itadakemasen ka?) – "Could you please do ~?" (very polite request)
• 「～というのはいかがでしょうか？」 (～to iu no wa ikaga deshou ka?) – "How about ~?"
• 「～を検討していただけますか？」 (～o kentou shite itadakemasu ka?) – "Would you consider ~?"検討

Audio tip: These are often spoken with rising intonation at the end, even in a statement.

3. Agreeing / Accepting (同意する - doui suru)

• 「承知しました。」 (shouchi shimashita) – "Understood / Agreed."承知
• 「それで結構です。」 (sore de kekkou desu) – "That's fine."結構
• 「異存ありません。」 (izon arimasen) – "No objection."異存

Audio tip: 承知しました (shouchi shimashita) is often clipped to 承知しました (shouchimashita) in fast speech.承知

4. Disagreeing / Objecting (反対する - hantai suru)

Japanese uses softeners to avoid direct refusal:

• 「申し訳ありませんが、それは難しいです。」 (moushiwake arimasen ga, sore wa muzukashii desu) – "I'm sorry, but that's difficult."申訳難
• 「別の方法を考えられませんか？」 (betsu no houhou o kangaeraremasen ka?) – "Could we think of another way?"別方法考
• 「その点については、少し懸念があります。」 (sono ten ni tsuite wa, sukoshi kenen ga arimasu) – "Regarding that point, I have some concerns."点少懸念

Audio tip: The word 難しい (muzukashii) almost always means "impossible" or "unacceptable" in negotiation, not just "difficult."難

5. Compromising / Concluding (妥協・まとめ - dakyō / matome)

• 「では、ここで折り合いましょう。」 (dewa, koko de oriaimashou) – "Let's meet halfway here."折合
• 「それで双方納得できると思います。」 (sore de souhou nattoku dekiru to omoimasu) – "I think both sides can accept that."双方納得思
• 「最終的に、～ということでよろしいでしょうか？」 (saishuuteki ni, ～to iu koto de yoroshii deshou ka?) – "Finally, is it okay if we go with ~?"最終的

Example 1 (Opening + Proposal)

• Japanese: 「価格についてですが、10%の値下げを検討していただけませんか？」価格値下検討
• Romaji: "Kakaku ni tsuite desu ga, 10% no nesage o kentou shite itadakemasen ka?"
• English: "Regarding the price, could you consider a 10% reduction?"

Example 2 (Soft Disagreement)

• Japanese: 「申し訳ありませんが、その条件は少し難しいです。」申訳条件少難
• Romaji: "Moushiwake arimasen ga, sono jouken wa sukoshi muzukashii desu."
• English: "I'm sorry, but those terms are a bit difficult."

Example 3 (Compromise)

• Japanese: 「では、5%の値下げで折り合いましょう。」値下折合
• Romaji: "Dewa, 5% no nesage de oriaimashou."
• English: "Then, let's meet halfway at a 5% reduction."

Example 4 (Agreement)

• Japanese: 「承知しました。それで結構です。」承知結構
• Romaji: "Shouchi shimashita. Sore de kekkou desu."
• English: "Understood. That's fine."

Mistake: Thinking 難しい (muzukashii) means "difficult but possible" in negotiation.難

Correction: In business negotiation audio, 難しい (muzukashii) is a polite refusal. It means "impossible" or "unacceptable." If the speaker wanted to say "difficult but possible," they would say 難しいですが、検討します (muzukashii desu ga, kentou shimasu) – "It's difficult, but I'll consider it."難検討

Drill 1: Listen for the missing word in this audio snippet (fill in the blank):
"価格についてですが、___ の値下げを検討していただけませんか？"
(Hint: It's a percentage number.)
Answer: 10%価格値下検討

Drill 2: Match the Japanese phrase to its meaning:

1. 承知しました。 → ___承知
2. それは難しいです。 → ___難
3. 折り合いましょう。 → ___折合

Choices:
A. Let's meet halfway.
B. Understood.
C. That's difficult (impossible).

Answers: 1-B, 2-C, 3-A

Summary: You learned to recognize five key negotiation moves in spoken Japanese: opening, proposing, agreeing, disagreeing (softly), and compromising. Focus on catching ～についてですが (ni tsuite desu ga) for openings, ～していただけませんか (shite itadakemasen ka) for polite requests, and 難しい (muzukashii) as a polite "no."難

Next Step: Practice with a real negotiation audio clip (try NHK News or a business podcast). Pause after each phrase and identify which move (propose, agree, disagree, compromise) the speaker just used. Then try shadowing the phrases at natural speed.