What does “gochisousama” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “gochisousama” to mean ‘thank you for the meal’ in Japanese. Perhaps, many Japanese learners know this phrase as it is often used in Japanese movies, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain it in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “gochisousama” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “gochisousama”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “gochisousama”.
- gochisousama – ご馳走様 (ごちそうさま) : a Japanese phrase meaning ‘thank you for the meal’.
Native speakers use this phrase to express their appreciation after they ate the meal which someone has prepared and served to them. So, the usage of this phrase is similar to that of the English one above.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. To understand this phrase more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.
Grammatical components of “gochisousama”
The phrase consists of the following three components:
- go – ご : a prefix used to make its following words polite.
- chisou – 馳走 (ちそう) : a noun used to express the act of running around. In the phrase, this is used as a kind of metaphor for someone running around to prepare a meal.
- sama – 様 (さま) : an honorific suffix used after a name or title. This is also sometimes used after a noun or noun equivalent word which is preceded by “o” or “go” to make it more polite. In the phrase, therefore, this can work to make “gochisou” sound more polite.
From these three components, we can understand that “gochisousama” is literally the polite expression of “chisou” which is a metaphor for someone preparing a meal. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meaning, but still a good metaphor, I think. Japanese people express their appreciation by politely referring to someone who has prepared a meal.
When we meet new Japanese phrases, we should check their grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, grammatical components tell us a lot about the meanings of the phrases they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “gochisousama” through the detailed check above. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “thank you for the meal” in Japanese
kinou wa gochisousama deshi ta – 昨日はご馳走様でした (きのうはごちそうさまでした)
Thank you for the meal yesterday.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kinou – 昨日 (きのう) : a noun meaning ‘yesterday’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb almost anywhere in a sentence.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kinou” to put a focus on it.
- deshi – でし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “desu”, which is used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “deshi” to make its past tense form, “deshi ta”.
This is a typical usage of “gochisousama”. This phrase can work alone to mean ‘thank you for the meal’, but sometimes works together with “deshi ta” to become more polite like this example. Native speakers actually use this combination, so it’s worth knowing.
Example #2: another usage of “gochisousama”
musume no kareshi wa itsumo 「gochisousama」 to iwa nai – 娘の彼氏はいつも「ご馳走様」と言わない (むすめのかれしはいつも「ごちそうさま」といわない)
My daughter’s boyfriend always doesn’t say “thank you for the meal.”
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- musume – 娘 (むすめ) : a noun meaning ‘daughter’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “musume” to make its possessive case, “musume no”, which has been translated as “my daughter’s”.
- kareshi – 彼氏 (かれし) : a noun meaning ‘boyfriend’ in Japanese.
- itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ in Japanese.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after “gochisousama” to indicate what “musume no kareshi” always does not say.
- iwa – 言わ (いわ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu”, which means ‘to say’, ‘to tell’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese nai form. In the example, this is used after “iwa” to deny its meaning, ‘to say’.
This is another typical usage of “gochisousama”. In Japan, we should express our appreciation after we ate the meal which someone has prepared and served to us. So, this phrase is very important to behave politely and properly in Japan.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “gochisousama” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- gochisousama – ご馳走様 (ごちそうさま) : a Japanese phrase meaning ‘thank you for the meal’. This is literally the polite expression of “chisou” which is a metaphor for someone preparing a meal. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meaning, but still a good metaphor. Japanese people express their appreciation by politely referring to someone who has prepared a meal.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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