Gochisousama is the Japanese phrase for ‘thank you for the meal’

What does “gochisousama” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “gochisousama” often to mean ‘thank you for the meal’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this phrase as it is sometimes used in Japanese movies, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this phrase 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 understand “gochisousama” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “gochisousama”
• What does “gochisousama” literally mean in Japanese?
  • Example #1: how to say “thank you for the meal” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “gochisousama”
• Summary

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 after they have a meal. With this phrase, they express their appreciation to the meal, the person who cooked for them, and all the related people and living things.

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.

What does “gochisousama” literally mean in Japanese?

The phrase consists of the following three components:

• go – ご : a prefix making its following word polite.
• chisou – 馳走 (ちそう) : a noun used to refer to the act of running around. In the phrase, this is used as a kind of metaphor for someone who has run around to serve a meal.
• sama – 様 (さま) : an honorific suffix often used after a name. This can sometimes be used after a noun or noun equivalent word which is preceded by “o” or “go”. In the phrase, this is used after “gochisou” to make it sound much more polite.

From these three components, we can understand that “gochisousama” is literally the polite expression of “chisou” which is a metaphor for someone who has run around to serve a meal. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meaning, but still understandable, I think. Japanese people express their appreciation to a meal by politely referring to someone who has run around to serve it.

When we meet new Japanese phrases, we should check their grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, 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.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “gochisousama” together with its grammatical components. 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

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 as a topic marker 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”. In this example, it works together with “deshi ta” to become more polite and suitable for the yesterday’s meal. Native speakers often use this combination, so it’s worth knowing. Of course, the phrase itself can work alone to mean ‘thank you for the meal’ in Japanese, though.

Example #2: another usage of “gochisousama”

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 means “daughter’s” in Japanese.
• 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 the daughter’s boyfriend 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.

This is another typical usage of “gochisousama”. In Japan, we should express our appreciation after we eat the meal which someone has served to us. So, this phrase is very important to behave politely and properly in Japanese society.

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 who has run around to serve a meal. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the actual meaning, but still understandable, I think. Japanese people express their appreciation to a meal by politely referring to someone who has run around to serve it.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.