Japanese for Work Scheduling: Asking 'Are You Available Tuesday?' and Confirming an Agenda
Learn elementary Japanese to schedule a work meeting: ask if someone is free on a specific day, propose a time, and confirm the agenda politely using 空いていますか, 大丈夫ですか, 議題, and 確認します.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
Scheduling a work meeting in Japanese is not the same as making casual plans with a friend. At work, you often need to check someone's availability, propose a specific day and time, and confirm what will be discussed. This lesson gives you elementary patterns for asking 'Are you available Tuesday?' and for confirming an agenda. You will use polite forms such as 空いていますか (aite imasu ka, 'are you free?'), 大丈夫ですか (daijōbu desu ka, 'is that okay?'), and 議題 (gidai, 'agenda'). The focus is on clear, polite workplace scheduling, not casual invitations.
By the end, you can…
- ask whether a coworker is available on a specific day using polite Japanese.
- propose a meeting time and confirm the agenda with 議題 and 確認します.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
火曜日は空いていますか。
Are you available on Tuesday?
ka-yō-bi wa ai-te i-ma-su ka
Polite workplace question. 空いています means 'is free/available' and is common for schedules.
火曜日の午後は大丈夫ですか。
Is Tuesday afternoon okay?
ka-yō-bi no go-go wa dai-jō-bu de-su ka
Use 大丈夫ですか to check if a proposed time works for the other person.
会議は何時からですか。
What time does the meeting start?
kai-gi wa nan-ji ka-ra de-su ka
Asks for the start time. から marks the starting point.
議題を確認してもいいですか。
May I confirm the agenda?
gi-dai o ka-ku-nin shi-te mo i-i de-su ka
Polite request to check the agenda. 議題 means 'agenda' or 'discussion topic'.
では、火曜日の3時にしましょう。
Then let's set it for Tuesday at 3.
de-wa, ka-yō-bi no san-ji ni shi-ma-shō
Use にしましょう to propose a decided time. では marks a transition after agreement.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To ask about availability, use [day] は空いていますか。 For example, 月曜日は空いていますか (getsuyōbi wa aite imasu ka) means 'Are you available on Monday?' To check if a proposed time is okay, use [time] は大丈夫ですか。 For example, 水曜日の10時は大丈夫ですか (suiyōbi no jūji wa daijōbu desu ka) means 'Is Wednesday at 10 okay?' These patterns are polite and suitable for coworkers, clients, and managers.
When to use it
Use these phrases when you need to schedule a work meeting, not a casual outing. 空いていますか is neutral and polite, so it works with most coworkers. 大丈夫ですか is also polite and often used to confirm a proposed time. If you are speaking to a manager or client, you can make it more polite with お時間よろしいですか (o-jikan yoroshii desu ka, 'would you have time?'). After agreeing, confirm the agenda with 議題を確認してもいいですか (gidai o kakunin shite mo ii desu ka).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
田中さん、火曜日は空いていますか。
Tanaka-san, are you available on Tuesday?ta-na-ka-san, ka-yō-bi wa ai-te i-ma-su ka火曜日の午後は大丈夫です。
Tuesday afternoon is okay.ka-yō-bi no go-go wa dai-jō-bu de-suでは、火曜日の3時にしましょう。議題を確認してもいいですか。
Then let's set it for Tuesday at 3. May I confirm the agenda?de-wa, ka-yō-bi no san-ji ni shi-ma-shō. gi-dai o ka-ku-nin shi-te mo i-i de-su kaはい、議題は新製品の計画です。
Yes, the agenda is the new product plan.hai, gi-dai wa shin-sei-hin no kei-ka-ku de-suA little context goes a long way
In Japanese workplaces, scheduling is often done with polite, indirect language. 空いていますか and 大丈夫ですか are safe for coworkers, but with managers or clients, adding お時間よろしいですか (o-jikan yoroshii desu ka) sounds more respectful. Also, confirming the agenda before a meeting is common and helps everyone prepare.
One thing to watch for
Using 火曜日は空いていますか as a casual invitation to hang out.
Try this instead: This phrase is polite and work-appropriate, but for casual plans with friends, Japanese speakers often use 火曜日はどう？ (kayōbi wa dō?, 'How about Tuesday?') or 火曜日は大丈夫？ (kayōbi wa daijōbu?, 'Is Tuesday okay?'). Use 空いていますか in work contexts or when you need to be polite.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask 'Are you available on Wednesday?' politely in Japanese?
Show a sample answer
水曜日は空いていますか。
This uses the pattern [day] は空いていますか. 水曜日は大丈夫ですか is also acceptable in many contexts, but 空いていますか is a clear availability question.
2What phrase can you use to confirm the agenda?
Show a sample answer
議題を確認してもいいですか。
This politely asks permission to confirm the agenda. You could also say 議題は何ですか (gidai wa nan desu ka, 'What is the agenda?') if you do not know it yet.
3How do you propose 'Let's set it for Tuesday at 3'?
Show a sample answer
火曜日の3時にしましょう。
This uses [time] にしましょう to propose a decided time. 火曜日の3時でいいですか (kayōbi no sanji de ii desu ka, 'Is Tuesday at 3 okay?') is another polite option.
For work scheduling in Japanese, ask 空いていますか for availability, use 大丈夫ですか to confirm a time, and confirm the agenda with 議題を確認してもいいですか.
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