Welcome to Gaia! ::

There's are transferred for the old guild.

Let's start with things you say when you meet someone for the first time.

To begin, you say, "Hajimemashite!" This roughly translates to "Nice to meet you!" or "How do you do?" It's sort of like a preface to a longer introduction.
はじめまして！

As a beginner, the more important phrase for you to know will be "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" This phrase is a little bit harder to translate, because it's used in so many different contexts. Most of the time, it will simply mean, "Nice to meet you!" or if you're meeting someone on the job for the first time, perhaps, "Looking forward to working with you!" but a more little translation is, "Please take good care of me."
よろしくおねがいします！
よろしくお願いします！

"Douzo yoroshiku" means exactly the same thing, but I think if you are a foreigner and especially if you are addressing someone older or higher rank than you, "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu" is better. If it's a particularly formal situation, you can also put it all together to "Douzo yoroshiku onegaishimasu!"
どうぞよろしくおねがいします！
どうぞよろしくお願いします！

You may also hear shorter versions of this phrase in less formal situations, cutting it down to just "Yoroshiku" or "Onegaishimasu," or even as short as "Douzo," but as a foreigner, you shouldn't try it. Seriously. Japanese tolerance of politeness bungles from foreigners only stretches so far.
よろしく
お願いします
どうぞ

Another kind of situation you might hear this phrase other than a first-time meeting will be if, for instance, you are at work, and a focus group is put together to solve a particular problem. Even if you already know everyone in the focus group, there will still probably be a round of everyone saying "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu" or one of the shortened versions thereof.

"Onegaishimasu" by itself simply means "Please." So, if you are delegating work to another or making an order at a restaurant or something along those line, you would use "onegaishimasu."

"Yoroshiku" by itself can mean "regards." As an example, "Please give my regards to you mother." "Okaa-san ni yoroshiku o-tsutae kudasai." It can also be used as the shortened version of "yoroshiku onegaishimasu," but in a sentence, and this IS something you could use. As an example: "I would be grateful for your help with this work." "Kono shigoto wo yoroshiku tanomimasu."
おかあさんによろしくおつたえください。
お母さんによろしくお伝え下さい。
このしごとをよろしくたのみます。
この仕事をよろしく頼みます。

"Douzo" by itself means "please" or "certainly." It would be a response to a request from someone else (like to use the phone) or if you are offering something to someone else, you can say this to encourage them to take it (like offering someone a place to sit).
どうぞ

Okay, I think that basically covers it for now! I'll make another post soon with more phrases that are used at specific times.

Haha, now that it's been transferred over and I'm reminded of it, I'll work some more on these basics... sweatdrop

いってきます！(Ittekimasu!) Say this when you leave home in the morning or in a situation when you are leaving a given place (like work or school) but plan to come back in short order.

いってらっしゃい！ (Itterasshai!) This is the proper reply to ittekimasu. Think of it as acknowledging that the other person is leaving and wishing them well until they get back. "Ok, have a nice day!" or "Alright then, see you later! Take care!" or something along those lines.

ただいま！ (Tadaima!) This basically means, "I'm home!" I think that's sort of an optional phrase in English, but it's required in Japanese. You can't just quietly come home, you need to announce your arrival by saying this loudly. Think of the old sitcoms where the husband would come home from work and shout, "Honey! I'm home!" It's exactly like that. ^_^

おかえりなさい！ (Okaerinasai!) The response to tadaima. It can also be shortened to "okaeri" in more casual situations. Just think of it as, "Welcome back!" or "Welcome home!"

Next time I'll add a few more. Probably food phrases and then whatever oddball things that come to mind. ^_^

Now that I think about it, you guys are right. I'll change that in the original post. Thanks! heart