What does “irasshaimase” mean in Japanese?
English does not have a perfect translation for “irasshaimase”, but this phrase is often translated as “welcome”. Probably, many Japanese learners know this phrase as it is often used in Japanese movies, novels, 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 an example sentence. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “irasshaimase” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “irasshaimase”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “irasshaimase”.
- irasshaimase – いらっしゃいませ : a Japanese phrase often translated into English as “welcome”, “welcome to our shop”, “can I help you?”, or such.
This is a kind of Japanese welcome greeting which shops and restaurants use when somebody comes in. So, its usage is similar to those of the English phrases, “can I help you?”, “may I help you?”, and even just “hello”. Its literal meaning is very close to that of “come in”, but this does not reflect well the Japanese politeness. So, it is really hard to translate this phrase into English. Still, its grammatical components help us to understand what it really means. Let me explain them, one by one.
Breakdown of “irasshaimase”
Grammatically, “irasshaimase” consists of the following two components:
- irasshai – いらっしゃい : the command form of the verb, “irassharu”, which means ‘to come’, ‘to go’, or ‘to be’ very politely in Japanese.
- mase – ませ : the command form of the auxiliary verb, “masu”, which is used after a verb to make it polite.
From these two components, we can understand that “irasshaimase” is literally a very polite imperative expression for ‘come’. “Very polite imperative” probably sounds a bit strange, but this is the Japanese way of greeting to customers. I think now you can understand why “irasshaimase” is literally close to “come in” and how it is functionally different from “welcome”. This Japanese phrase is not suitable for the moment when somebody has just arrived.
When we meet new Japanese phrases, we should check their 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 “irasshaimase” through the detailed check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “irasshaimase” and its grammatical components in detail. Next, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.
Example: how to use “irasshaimase”
boku wa okyakusan ni 「irasshaimase」 to it ta – 僕はお客さんに「いらっしゃいませ」と言った (ぼくはおきゃくさんに「いらっしゃいませ」といった)
I said to the customer, “hello, how can I help you?”
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “boku” to make the subject in the sentence.
- okyakusan – お客さん (おきゃくさん) : a noun meaning ‘customer’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, this is used after “okyakusan” to indicate to whom the speaker said “irasshaimase”.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what the speaker said.
- it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu”, which means ‘to say’ or such in Japanese. 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 “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.
This is a typical usage of “irasshaimase”. When we want to use a welcome greeting to customers in Japan, this phrase is the best option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “irasshaimase” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentence. Let me summarize them as follows.
- irasshaimase – いらっしゃいませ : a Japanese phrase which shops and restaurants use when somebody comes in. So, its usage is similar to those of the English phrases, “can I help you?”, “may I help you?”, and even just “hello”. Its literal meaning is very close to that of “come in”, but this does not reflect well the Japanese politeness. So, it is really hard to translate this phrase into English. From the grammatical point of view, this is a very polite imperative expression for ‘come’. “Very polite imperative” probably sounds a bit strange, but this is the Japanese way of greeting to customers.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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