# Japanese-speaking AI receptionist

For callers who would rather not do it all in English.

Nuteq greets callers in English and answers in Japanese when they speak it. It books the viewing or visit, answers from the details you provide, and writes up each call for your team.

*Languages · Last updated 2026-09-28*

[Add Japanese to your receptionist](https://nuteqai.com/signup)

## Can an AI receptionist answer Japanese-speaking callers?

Yes. Nuteq is a Japanese-speaking AI receptionist for businesses whose English-language line also gets calls in Japanese. You keep English as the agent’s main language and add Japanese under “Also understands”. When a caller speaks Japanese, the agent replies in Japanese straight away, so nobody has to find a colleague or ask the caller to try English. It books viewings, visits, and appointments against your real availability and answers from the documents and notes you give it. This helps people on work assignments who arrived recently, their families, and visitors who are more comfortable explaining details in Japanese. Every call is kept with its recording, a transcript in the words the caller used, and a written summary. Japanese is included on every Nuteq plan at no extra charge.

- **Answers:** Phone, text messages, WhatsApp, and website chat
- **Speaks:** English and Japanese on one number
- **Voices:** Several Japanese voices, male and female
- **Register:** Polite and plain by default, adjustable in your instructions
- **Japanese costs:** Included, no add-on fee

### What it will not do

- Its Japanese is polite but plain, not full honorific keigo. If you need a more formal register, write that in your instructions and test a call.
- It may misread names or places written in kanji. Add the readings to Vocabulary.
- Text replies are written in your agent’s main language, and booking confirmations are sent in English.

## What Japanese-speaking callers need from you

Japanese companies send staff and their families abroad for work assignments, and many of them spend their first months handling housing, schools, cars, and health care in a second language.

### A newly arrived employee wants to see apartments

*relocation*

Replies in Japanese and books a viewing at an open time.

Outcome: Viewing booked

### A spouse calls while the employee is at work

*spouse*

Answers in Japanese and collects the details your team needs.

Outcome: Details captured

### Someone asks what documents they need to apply

*question*

Answers in Japanese from the checklist you uploaded.

Outcome: Answered

### A call comes in late after a long workday

*evening*

Picks up after hours and books the first slot that is free.

Outcome: Booked after hours

### A caller uses English, then finishes in Japanese

*mixed*

Moves between the two languages as the caller does.

Outcome: Handled in both

### A tenant needs a staff member for a lease question

*handoff*

Transfers the call to your number with the question already noted.

Outcome: Transferred

## Example call record

**Kenji Tanaka** · Leasing office · phone · 1:12

Outcome: Viewing booked

Tags: japanese, relocation, viewing

- **Agent:** Harbor View Apartments leasing office. How can I help you?
- **Caller:** もしもし、日本語でも大丈夫ですか？来月こちらに転勤になるので、部屋を探しています。
  *Hello, is Japanese okay? I am being transferred here next month, so I am looking for an apartment.*
- **Agent:** はい、大丈夫です。内見でしたら、今週の土曜日の午前11時が空いています。いかがですか？
  *Yes, that is fine. For a viewing, this Saturday at 11 a.m. is open. How does that sound?*
- **Caller:** 土曜日の11時でお願いします。
  *Saturday at 11, please.*
- **Agent:** わかりました。お名前を教えていただけますか？
  *Understood. May I have your name?*
- **Caller:** 田中です。
  *It is Tanaka.*

### Call summary

Kenji Tanaka is moving here for work next month and called in Japanese to see apartments. The receptionist replied in Japanese and booked a viewing for Saturday at 11:00 AM under his name and number.

- Replied in Japanese from the caller’s first sentence
- Booked a viewing for Saturday at 11:00 AM
- Saved Kenji Tanaka as a new contact

## Nuteq vs a Japanese-speaking answering service vs voicemail

| | Nuteq | Typical answering service | Voicemail |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Japanese on the line** | Any call, any hour | Uncommon; often an interpreter line or a callback | None |
| **Switching language** | Mid-call, no menu | Usually a transfer or a wait | Not possible |
| **Books the visit** | Yes, into your calendar | Usually passes on a message | No |
| **What you get afterwards** | Recording, transcript, and summary | A short message | Audio you still need to understand |
| **Busy hours** | Several calls at once | Varies by provider | Callers wait for you to call back |

## One agent on every channel

- **Phone:** Greets in English and replies in Japanese the moment the caller speaks it.
- **Text messages:** Replies to customers who text, and sends booking confirmations and reminders.
- **WhatsApp:** Answers questions and books appointments for customers who prefer WhatsApp.
- **Website chat:** Visitors can talk to the voice widget on your site in Japanese and hear Japanese back.

## How do you set up a Japanese-speaking AI receptionist?

Setting up a Japanese-speaking receptionist in Nuteq takes a few minutes. Choose your business template, add Japanese under “Also understands”, add readings for names written in kanji, then test a call in Japanese from your browser before you forward your number.

1. Sign up and pick the template closest to what you do.
2. In Voice and language, add Japanese to the languages your agent understands.
3. Make a test call in Japanese from your browser, then forward your number or get a new local one.

## Questions about Japanese callers

### Is Nuteq a Japanese-speaking answering service?

Nuteq is an AI receptionist that works as a Japanese-speaking answering service: it answers in English and Japanese at any hour, books visits, and saves a record of every call.

### Does it use keigo?

Nuteq speaks polite Japanese with plain, conversational phrasing by default rather than full honorific keigo. If your customers expect a more formal register, say so in your instructions and test a call to hear the result.

### Will it read Japanese names correctly?

Nuteq recognizes most spoken names, but kanji can have several readings. Add names, street names, and building names to Vocabulary with how to say them, so the agent hears and pronounces them the way you expect.

### How much does Japanese cost?

Nuteq includes Japanese on every plan with no add-on fee. The plans are listed on the pricing page.

### Can I choose a Japanese voice?

Nuteq offers several Japanese voices, male and female, that you can play before choosing. If English stays the main language, the voice you picked speaks Japanese whenever the caller does.

### Can it transfer a Japanese caller to a person?

Nuteq can transfer the call to any number you set, such as a colleague who speaks Japanese, once the caller asks for a person or the situation matches your instructions.

### What other languages can the same agent handle?

Nuteq speaks more than 20 languages, including Korean and Chinese. One agent can understand several of them, so you can cover the languages your callers use most.

### How it works in the docs

- [Voice and language settings](https://nuteqai.com/docs/agents/voice-and-languages)
- [Vocabulary and pronunciation](https://nuteqai.com/docs/agents/vocabulary)
- [Test your agent](https://nuteqai.com/docs/agents/test-your-agent)

## Other languages and industries

- [Russian](https://nuteqai.com/languages/russian): Books Russian-speaking customers into your schedule in Russian, while you stay on the job.
- [Turkish](https://nuteqai.com/languages/turkish): Lets Turkish-speaking patients and clients book, ask, and reschedule in Turkish at any hour.
- [Italian](https://nuteqai.com/languages/italian): Answers Italian-speaking callers in Italian, takes the details, and puts urgent ones through.
- [Polish](https://nuteqai.com/languages/polish): Books Polish-speaking customers in Polish, from vaccinations to check-ups, without a callback.
- [Plumbers](https://nuteqai.com/for/plumbing): Picks up the 2am burst-pipe call, sorts emergencies from routine jobs, and books the van.
- [HVAC](https://nuteqai.com/for/hvac): Answers the whole queue on the first hot or cold day, books repair visits, and qualifies install leads.
- [Electricians](https://nuteqai.com/for/electrician): Answers the no-power call at midnight, escalates a hot panel, and books the charger install.
- [Roofers](https://nuteqai.com/for/roofing): Takes the whole storm surge in one afternoon, books inspections, sorts leaks from hail claims.

- [See all languages](https://nuteqai.com/languages)
- [See all industries](https://nuteqai.com/for)

## Answer your Japanese-speaking callers in Japanese.

[Add Japanese to your receptionist](https://nuteqai.com/signup) · [See pricing](https://nuteqai.com/pricing)