What does “ittekimasu” mean in Japanese?
Japanese people say “ittekimasu” when they are about to leave their homes to announce their departures. This phrase is often translated into English as “I’m going”, “I’ve gotta go”, “see you later”, or such. English, however, doesn’t have a phrase which has exactly the same meaning as the Japanese phrase, I think. In this blog post, therefore, I will explain this phrase in detail based on its components. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “ittekimasu” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “ittekimasu”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “ittekimasu”.
- ittekimasu – 行ってきます (いってきます) : a Japanese phrase meaning ‘I’m going’, ‘I’ve gotta go’, ‘see you later’, or such.
This phrase is often translated into English as “I’m going” or such, but any English phrase cannot reflect well the original meaning and nuance. To better understand the Japanese phrase, therefore, let me explain its components in detail, one by one.
What does “ittekimasu” literally mean?
“Ittekimasu” consists of the following four components:
- it – 行っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku”, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for the better connection with the following word.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In Japanese, te forms of words have some important roles. One of them is make a chronological order in a sentence. In this phrase, this particle is used after “it” to make its te form, “it te”, and make a chronological order.
- ki – き : one conjugation of the verb, “kuru”, which means ‘to come’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for the better connection with the following word.
- masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the phrase, this is used after “ki” to make it sound polite.
From these four components, we can understand that “ittekimasu” literally means ‘go and then come’ politely in Japanese. So, this is the phrase saying “I’m going and will come back”; this does not only announce our departures, but also prays for ourselves to come back home safely. This is the original meaning and nuance of this Japanese phrase. Personally and honestly, I love this phrase very much. It’s a kind of promise to come back home safely.
When we meet new Japanese phrases, we should check their components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, components tell us a lot about meanings of phrases they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “ittekimasu” through the detailed check above.
Then, let me explain how to use “ittekimasu” through the example sentence below.
Example: how to use “ittekimasu”
ja, ittekimasu ne – じゃ、行ってきますね (じゃ、いってきますね)
Then, I’m going.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- ja – じゃ : a conjunction meaning ‘then’ or such in Japanese.
- ne – ね : a sentence-ending particle used to ask for confirmation softly.
This is a typical usage of “ittekimasu”. Native speakers often use it together with the conjunction, “ja”, like this example.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “ittekimasu” in detail based on its components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentence. Let me summarize them as follows.
- ittekimasu – 行ってきます (いってきます) : a Japanese phrase meaning ‘I’m going’, ‘I’ve gotta go’, ‘see you later’, or such. Japanese people use this phrase when they are about to leave their homes to announce their departures. This phrase literally means ‘go and then come’ politely in Japanese. So, this is the phrase saying “I’m going and will come back”; this does not only announce our departures, but also prays for ourselves to come back home safely.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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