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ら 外国人か い 白 見た面 ！ ！！ 語 日本
Japanese Language
in
Discover new interesting Japanese words and phrases from a Japanese learner’s point of view with the aid of a Japanese teacher. Let’s get started!
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T od ay ’s W or d Pronunciation 発音
ただいま おかえりFor⇔ m さつ かん どう し あい
a
Okaeri⇔Tadaim
形
感動 詞／ 挨拶
ction / Greeting
Interje
one at ting from some home, the gree lease come "p y all er W hen you reach (lit ai 意味 aeri or okaerinas o is home will be ok rson at home wh ily wish from the pe a fam is is eir Th th of "). ck rn ba fe retu rward to the sa rning will reply tu reall y looking fo re is o wh n , the perso se tadaima member s. Then s from the phra originally come ). me with tadaima. It ho ve jus t got back kaerimashita (I ha
Meaning
To da y’s Le ar ne r:
character or mind-set Some people describe Japanese as ‘kind’, ‘considerate’ or ‘polite’. This n☺ expressio unique culturally this use to appears in these interjections. Let us try い
Itteki masu This pair is used when people are leaving their home or office. The former is an expression of ‘I’m going out now, but definitely coming back’ and the person who sees them off will say itte
Ittera sshai rasshai, which means ‘enjoy your outing but please come back here’. Both really consider ‘come home safely’…how nice is that!
いただきます⇔ごちそうさま Itadaki masu
These are salutations for a meal. Before eating, you should say itadakimasu which shows your respect and appreciation to people who prepare the food, who cultivated the ingredients (e.g. farmers) as well as thanking nature for helping to grow vegetables and other ingredients. In response, chiso from gochiso sama originally
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VOL.
Vic tor ia Ng from Sing apor e
In this day and age, it is rare for people to be conscientiously polite – especially outside an extremely courteous culture like Japan. A casual “bye” or “leaving” is usually shouted at the door and receives a similar, distracted reply – “I’m home” is used even less. Although the greetings are now treated in the same absentminded manner, the original intent is not forgotten. Especially in an office environment, seemingly casual concern for every colleague creates a pleasant atmosphere and serves as a gentle reminder that someone is leaving or has returned safely.
Insi ght of Jap ane se Inte rjec tion い
Conductor Aki Loves exploring how culture affects language differently around the world and works as copywriter & editor. Also has a postgraduate certificate in TJFL (teaching Japanese as a foreign language).
Gochisō sama
means ‘running around’ and it symbolises people running around everywhere to get ingredients. After your meal, we add polite prefix of go and respectful term of sama to show your appreciation and thanks to the person’s effort for the meal’s preparation.
T od ay ’s B ro ke n Ja pa ne se
あけおめ⇔ことよろ Akeome
Kotoyoro
Akeome is abbreviated from akemashite omedetō gozaimasu (polite way of ‘Happy New Year’). Literally, it means ‘greeting New Year is opening’. You say this interjection when you see people in the new year. In return, kotoyoro is a short form of kotoshimo yoroshiku onegaishimasu (“please treat me well this year as well as you did last year”) which literally shows your sincere feelings and appreciation for last year kindness/ partnership/friendship, etc. These terms describe Japanese politeness well with the short form being more slightly casual and light. Illustration credit: www.irasutoya.com
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