In Japan every time you walk into a restaurant, shop, department store – basically any place of service you will you will be verbally attacked with a “welcome” greeting. This will happen without fail. The greeting is “Irasshaimase” – いらっしゃいませ. Like many Japanese expressions this one is deep and goes way back. More on that later. I do have to say that I loved the word when I first came to Japan. I really liked walking to restaurants to be greeted with a chorus of “Irashiamase”. I made me feel…..well, very welcome. I remember thinking it was a little un-Japanese for Japanese to be yelling at their customers.
Now, after living in Japan for ten years I can say I am pretty sick of this word. I do find it irritating when I am shopping at a clothing store or just browsing at book store to been constantly disturbed by shouts and chorus of Irasshaimase. Some staff will really scream it out. I have walked out of the odd store or two because of the constant cries from a tone deaf Japanese.
Japanese Set Expressions – Irasshaimase
The deeper meaning of the word goes way back and not surprisingly has to do with etiquette. Centuries ago Japanese behavior was formalized to the extend that there was a prescribed way for doing virtually everything. Direct interaction with other people, weather greetings, requests and speeches was the most important and carefully enforced. This lead to one of the most interesting and early developed etiquette customs – the calling out of “irasshai” or “iarashaimase” when someone entered the vestibule home of a home or place of business.
“Irasshai” means “walk in” as well as “welcome” and is an informal, friendly expression used by tradespeople in traditional restaurants and shops and department stores. This greeting kind of takes the weight of formality off the customers’ shoulders. It lets them know that they are at a place where they can relax and have fun. This could explain why Japanese are quite happy to eat with total strangers with restaurant owners often asking customers to share tables when business is busy. I have done it myself and it a bit unusual and very uncomfortable. A contradiction to Japanese culture in general, but then again eating habits are very different indeed and an area of Japanese culture that lacks etiquette and decorum. Japanese can eat like pigs; making nosies as they eat, speaking while eating, and even using communal chopsticks as tooth picks.
“Irasshaimase” is a much more polite and formal Japanese expression used only in the sense of “welcome” and “thanks for coming”. This is one word you want to remember and use. It represents an important part of the overall etiquette of Japan and one of the things that foreign visitors and businessmen can easily assimilate, and benefit from, in their interactions with Japanese.
In this post you will learn some basic Japanese words. As you probably know many Japanese phrases and common expressions are quite difficult for the beginner. For example, the common greeting phrases はじめまして (hajimemashite) and よろしく おねがいします (yoroshiku onegaishimasu) are pretty difficult words to get your tounge around. However, these difficult and quite formal expressions are usually the first words a student is taught. We are going to have some and just learn some basic Japanese words.
Basic Japanese Words – Adjectives
We will focus on some common adjectives. There are two kinds of adjectives in Japanese い-ending adjectives and な-ending adjectives. Will we focus on い-ending adjectives as they are usually more common and expressive. い-ending adjectives, especially adjectives that end with しい express human emotions and feelings. Examples are below;
さびしい － sabishii – loney (as in missing someone)
かなしい － kanashii – sad
うれしい － ureshii – happy
These adjectives all end in しい(shii). Notice how they express powerful emotions.
Time to learn some basic words – watch the video and repeat after Kaoru Sensei. We won’t worry about kanji characters for the moment. Hopefully you can read hiragana.
Note: ふとい describes objects that are thick or wide. ふとい is not used to describe people who are large or fat. The common term to describe fat people is でぶ(debu). でぶ is a な-adjective. If we place でぶ before the noun person/people ひと(hito) we would have でぶなひと. The な of a な-adjective is only placed before a noun. If you say a な-adjective on its own or without the noun, you drop the な. For example, あのこは でぶですね. That child is fat. There is no noun after でぶ. So there is no な. More on this in another post.
Alright now that you have watched the video here are a few revision questions.
What are two ways to say good in Japanese?
What is the opposite of ながい?
How do you say big in Japanese?
What does わるい mean?
What is the opposite of かるい?
How do you say old and new in Japanese?
What does ちいさい mean?
I hope you enjoyed this lesson on basic Japanese words. One of the best ways to learn Japanese is to give learning grammar and kanji a break, and just learn lots of Japanese words. However, you should keep in mind being able to read Japanese characters can dramatically increase your abiltiy to learn new words. Mix up your Japanese study and try to keep learning fun and stimulating.
Ordering food at restaurants and cafes is pretty easy once you learn and understand a few set expressions. These set expressions are said all over the country and you will have the same exchange when ordering no matter where you go. The Japanese service industry lacks personality. All waiters and waitresses sound the same, say the same things with the enthusiasm of a programmed robot. Staff will rarely start up a conversation, comment on the weather or local news, or ask you anything other than “May I take your order?”.
For someone new to Japan or to the Japanese language it is great because you will hear the same service phrases every time you go out to eat. It won’t be long before you can walk into a restaurant without the fear of being misunderstood. For someone living in Japan for several years you really get sick of the programmed exchange. In most places of customer service Japanese follow a strict code of “by the book” service. Of course some staff are friendlier than others and may make a comment or show a smile, but generally everyone behaves in exactly the same way. Straying from this “by the book” service is frowned upon and considered time wasting.
I have worked in restaurants in Japan myself and learned not to talk to customers “too much” and just stick to the manual. I also have discovered restaurants aren’t generally customer friendly when it comes to requesting slight changes to menu items. Try ordering a pizza without onions and chances are they just can’t do it. It is quite funny. If you do ask for changes on a menu item the waiter or waitress will give you a perplexed look and then run off to the manager. He or she will then return to tell you it can’t be done because of “quality control” or some other bizarre reason. If you are a vegetarian life is going to be difficult in Japan.
Some people may argue that they don’t like to be disturbed when eating out by staff and just want to order and eat - fair enough. However, I do thinking I am losing my brain when I am at a restaurant and I order two things off the menu and then have the waitress announce to me that she will repeat my order, have my order repeated, then told that the “drink bar” is on my right 3 meters away by the entrance (as if I hadn’t seen it). Keep in mind that I have been served by the same staff before and that I am a regular customer of the establishment.
One of the great and convenient aspects of the Japanese language is the kimarimoku – common Japanese phrases and expressions. If you have been studying Japanese for sometime you probably know some of them and using them when you see your Japanese friends. Naturally, many Japanese phrases are taught in standard text books and what not, but I have discovered (learned) many expressions or phrases only in certain situations one wouldn’t normally experience unless they were living in Japan.
My understanding of Japanese phrases and words (set expressions) seem to evolve to me as a student. First you learn them with some sort of basic English translation. Then you hear them and use them every day if you happen to be living in Japan. You then take them for granted and go around saying them half-heartedly and get sick of hearing the same expression or phrase in the same situation over and over, again and again, day in and day out. Then Buddha willing, you have an experience that finally brings the deeper meaning of the phrase or expression to you. It is all about the culture of the Japanese language. You can’t really learn the true deeper meanings of certain Japanese phrases or expressions unless you immerse yourself into the culture. And the only way you can do that is by living in Japan for several years.
Common Japanese Phrases
Itadakimasu – An institutionalized expression said just before beginning to eat. This is NOT a Japanese version of “grace”. It is in no way similar to grace at all. It is especially appropriate to say this when you are guest. It is showing appreciation to you host for the meal they have prepared for you. At home it is just a casual “starter gun” type meaning of “Lets eat”. Often, when eating with Japanese I am asked for a translation of the word in English – there is none.
Gochisosamadeshita – Just as important and ritualized as “Idatakimasu”, this phrase is said to express thanks to the host after finishing a meal. This expression is also said in a less formal manner when certain private details of someone’s private life is shared in a conversation. If you were to reveal the juicy details of how you met your first love your audience would thank you for sharing by say “Gochisosamadeshita”.
Finally the expression of all expressions – the king of the castle expression. This is the one you will hear most often, and the one that will ponder?on for years and years. It is…..wait for it……..Yoroshiku onegai itashimasu. This one is a little hard to explain because it is so rooted in Japanese culture and mentality. It is a very formalized and ritualized way of saying, “Please help me”. Not help me as in “save me I am in trouble”, but more of a “when the time comes help us out” kind of meaning. It can also be used as a formal request as in “please take care of it”,” make it so”, “please do it” and …..I think you get the idea. It is said when business relations are being formed, and if it concerns something really serious it is usually accompanied by a bow.
Here are some more blogposts and articles relating to Japanese words and phrases:
Greetings are usually the first thing a student learns when studying a foreign language. I am sure you probably already know several greetings in Japanese. In this lesson we will look at the standard “Good morning, good afternoon and good night” Japanese greetings, as well as a few greetings Japanese native speakers often use. As greetings are usually the first thing you say when meeting people it is important to pronounce them correctly. You may know that “Konnichwa” is “Hello” (good afternoon), but you are probably not pronouncing the word correctly.
Japanese soon compliment Japanese speaking foreigners on their…”speaking ability” in social situations. They will most likely compliment your ability after you have exchanged greetings. This happened to me the first time I came to Japan and started working in a restaurant. A customer complimented on my Japanese. I didn’t understand what she was saying. Once I found out what she was saying I felt like a fool and pretty embarrassed. Keep this in mind when you meet Japanese.
Common Japanese Greetings
Push the play button below and repeat the greetings after Kaoru Sensei. Try to get your pronunciation to sound like Kaoru’s.
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| Konnichiwa. | Good afternoon |
| Konbanwa | Good evening. |
| Ohayoogozaimasu. | Good morning * |
| Ohayoo. | Good morning. |
| Oyasuminasai. | Good night. |
| Oyasumi | Good night. |
| Jyaa ne | Bye |
| Mata ashita | See you tomorrow |
| Mata ne | See ya later |
Bowing: Instead of shaking hands , the Japanese bow. They also express gratitude, apologies, and requests by bowing. There are different ways of bowing depending on the situation, shown by how deeply you bend forward.
Gifts: It is customary to bring a gift, such as a box of sweets with you, when you visit your acquaintances or those to whom you feel some obligation. When offering a gift, Japanese will usually say something along the lines of “this is just a little something” which expresses a self-effacing attitude.
Meishi: In business, people exchange name-cards when they are introduced. This card is printed with name of the person, the company and his or her title on it. Japanese love to give their business card. I seem to accumulate hundreds every year.
