The lesson of the day is about polite formulas. We will see together in this course many ready-made expressions, mainly written in hiragana. For the anecdote, you should know that these formulas once contained - over a century ago I would say - kanji which today have disappeared for the most part as these formulas were used more and more daily by the Japanese.
I will attach a little explanation to each polite formula so that you understand clearly under what circumstances each polite formula should be used.
We will also see some kanji that have survived in some formulas. For now, just learn these kanji with the formulas as they are. And don’t worry, we’ll see these kanji in more detail when we start grammar.
はい . yes
はい also expresses that we have understood an order or a wish or that we are responding to a call.
いいえ . no
お願いします .
おねがいします . please
Can literally translate to « make a request ». Generally used daily in stores and restaurants. Not to be confused with "下さい . ください" which also means « please » but with a more marked notion of return.
ありがとう (ございます) . thank you (so much)
The ございます lets be more polite in his thanks.
どういたしまして . you’re welcome, please.
Then, to say « hello » in Japanese, there are several expressions depending on the time of day.
お早う (ございます) .
おはよう (ございます) → morning
今日は .
こんにちは → good morning
今晩は .
こんばんは → good evening / good night
Note that the « は » at the end of « 今日は » and « 今晩は » is actually a grammatical particle which we will study later.
It is written は but pronounced わ. For now, keep that in mind. Learn them by heart. These are expressions that are made like that and that’s it.
お元気ですか .
おげんきですか . how are you ?
This phrase is the most classic way to ask someone how they are. There are many other expressions but this is the most common. To this question, you answer :
元気です .
げんきです . I’m fine
So, when we separate, to tell the other party to be well, we say :
お元気で .
おげんきで . take care / take care of yourself
左様なら .
さようなら . goodbye
The term 左様なら . さようなら iterally means « Goodbye » in Japanese. However, this word is no longer really used by the Japanese, and even less by the youngest among them because of its double meaning. If it means goodbye, it can also be used to say « Adieu ».
左様なら . さようなら implies that you may never see your contact again. It’s a little sad, and it sounds wrong when the situation doesn’t lend itself at all. Especially since today’s world has changed a lot. If young Japanese people use this term less and less, preferring to say バイバイ (from the English speaking expression « bye bye »), it is mainly because of all the means of communication we have today (smartphone, internet, email, etc.). Even if you don’t necessarily meet your loved ones or friends more physically, nowadays, almost everyone is connected. In addition, Western influence has played a significant role, hence the バイバイ.
Fortunately, there are many alternatives to say « Goodbye » to your loved ones in a less solemn way than 左様なら . さようなら like :
またね . see you later / see you next time
お休みなさい .
おやすみなさい . good night, rest well
Says when preparing to fall asleep or when separating late night after a party, for example.
また明日 .
またあした . see you tomorrow
初めまして .
はじめまして . nice to meet you
Used when you meet someone for the first time. Otherwise, you have the equivalent below :
どうぞ宜しくお願いします .
どうぞよろしくおねがいします . nice to meet you
どうぞ . you’re welcome
頂きます .
いただきます . enjoy your meal
This expression often translates to « enjoy your meal » but literally it means « thanks for cooking for me ». You should know that the person who cooked cannot say 頂きます. It is those who receive the meal who, out of politeness, thank the person who cooked by saying 頂きます.
I think this is not an exaggeration saying that in Japan, apologizing is downright an art because the Japanese apologize all the time. They also have several ways and expressions to apologize according to the interlocutor in front of them and the gravity of the fault committed. In addition, what Japanese people consider annoying would not necessarily be considered annoying in Occident. It is all a question of culture.
すみません . excuse me / sorry
Said when you want to get someone’s attention to ask for information or if you want to apologize for a little something, such as a stampede. It is the negative polite form of すまない. There is also an abbreviated form:
すまん . excuse me / sorry
However, I strongly advise you to use すみません, the abbreviated form すまん can be considered very familiar, even disrespectful.
Roughly translated as “excuse me”, it rings out in front of doors, taxis, shops and restaurants, leaving “ありがとう” (thank you) by the way. This often results in an assumption that the Japanese apologize for the exclusion of everything else.
According to some polls, only 10% of すみません is an excuse. 90% are used to show respect, politeness and honesty. When someone does something for you, goes out of your way to the grocery store, or holds a door, すみません is the best answer where, in the West, we would say "thank you".
Just as easily a thank you as a sorry, すみません is regularly used to recognize the troubles someone has encountered for you. Depending on the situation, it is an excuse or a gratitude, and also a way of showing your humility.
That being said, let’s see the rest:
悪い .
わるい . my bad
Well, that one, you may know it already. 悪い . わるい is more known to be a adjective to say "bad", "poor", "nasty" but can also be used to say "sorry". ATTENTION: as すまん, say 悪い to apologize for something is considered very familiar, bordering on the vulgar. Never use すまん and 悪い to apologize to your parents, to a student older than you, to your teachers, to your supervisors, or even to a client. These two expressions can only be used with a person of the same age as you or in any case very close to you, your friends for example. And I also think that, even with your friends, it is much better to use すみません or the following expression:
ごめん(なさい) . excuse me / sorry
We say ごめん(なさい) after doing something wrong. ごめん is the the familiar form and ごめんなさい is the polite form. We can also say:
ごめんね . excuse me / sorry
お疲れ様でした .
おつかれさまでした
This expression is used to compliment someone after they have done a good job. Translated by : « Nice job » or « Thank you for the work done ».
If we cut the expression word for word we get :
お : Honorary prefix. By using it, you show respect for your interlocutor.
疲れ : From the verb « 疲れる . つかれる » which means « Get tired ».
様 : Suffix that also marks respect.
でした : Word that indicates that the action described in the sentence took place in the past.
We can therefore literally translate this expression by « We are tired ». A phrase you would never dare to say in public at your workplace. The Japanese say it all the time! Because contrary to what one might think, it does not imply anything negative. Japanese workers use this expression to encourage and express gratitude among colleagues.
行ってきます .
いってきます
Is the formula we tell people who stay, when they leave their house or their workplace.
Literally, 行ってきます . いってきます means « I go ».
The answer to 行ってきます . いってきます is 行ってらっしゃい . いってらっしゃい which means « I let you go ».
And when we come home, we say :
只今 .
ただいま . I’m back. / I’m home.
Writing in kanji is very rare.
お帰りなさい .
おかえりなさい . welcome back
いらっしゃいませ .
ようこそ . welcome
Here are two expressions to say « welcome ».
いらっしゃいませ means « welcome » when you walk into a store.
ようこそ is a more general and more often used expression that we often see in airports for example. Even in airports, you may have already seen this expression written on signs. When you enter Japan or when you enter someone’s home, the interlocutor says ようこそ to welcome you.
お邪魔します .
おじゃまします . I’m coming in. / Sorry for bothering you.
Says when you enter someone’s home when you settle somewhere.
はい
. Yes
いいえ
. No
お願いします .
おねがいします
. Please
ありがとう
. Thank you
ありがとうございます
. Thank you very much
どういたしまして
. You’re welcome, please
お早う (ございます) .
おはよう (ございます)
. Good morning
今日は .
こんにちは
. Good morning
今晩は .
こんばんは
. Good evening / Good night
お元気ですか .
おげんきですか
. How are you?
元気です .
げんきです
. I’m fine
お元気で .
おげんきで
. Take care / Take care of yourself
左様なら .
さようなら
. Goodbye
またね
. See you later / See you next time
お休みなさい .
おやすみなさい
. Good night, rest well
また明日 .
またあした
. See you tomorrow
初めまして .
はじめまして
. Nice to meet you
どうぞ宜しくお願いします .
どうぞよろしくおねがいします
. Nice to meet you
どうぞ
. You’re welcome
頂きます .
いただきます
. Enjoy your meal
すみません
. Excuse me / sorry (polite)
すまん
. Excuse me / sorry (familiar)
悪い .
わるい
. Sorry (very familiar)
ごめん
. Excuse-me / sorry (familiar)
ごめんなさい
. Excuse-me / sorry (polite)
ごめんね
. Excuse-me / sorry (familiar)
お疲れ様でした .
おつかれさまでした
. Nice job / Thank you for the work done
行ってきます .
いってきます
. I go
行ってらっしゃい .
いってらっしゃい
. See you later
只今 .
ただいま
. I’m back / I’m home
お帰りなさい .
おかえりなさい
. Welcome back
いらっしゃいませ /
ようこそ
. Welcome
お邪魔します .
おじゃまします
. I’m coming in / Sorry for bothering you
Here! There are many other formulas of courtesy that we will see much later, little by little but for now, start by learning these. If there are any kanji you don’t know - and I suspect most of them are - I invite you to search in the dictionary. Always look in the dictionary.
Thank you for taking the time to read this course and we will meet again in the next course.
You will have noticed that I have put the hiragana お in red in most expressions. It’s a polite prefix. You will find out a little more about that when we get to this prefix in more detail towards the end of season two.
Introduction