What does “kochira koso” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “kochira koso” to mean ‘thank you, too’, ‘you, too’, ‘me, too’, ‘my pleasure’, or such in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this phrase as it is sometimes used in Japanese daily conversations. 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 examples. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “kochira koso” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meanings of “kochira koso”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “kochira koso”.
- kochira koso – こちらこそ : a Japanese phrase meaning ‘thank you, too’, ‘you, too’, ‘me, too’, ‘my pleasure’, or such in Japanese.
Japanese native speakers use this phrase as a response when they want to repeat what someone has just said but in the opposite direction. So, this is often translated into English as ‘thank you, too’, ‘you, too’, ‘me, too’, ‘my pleasure’, or such.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. To understand this phrase more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.
Breakdown of “kochira koso”
Grammatically, “kochira koso” consists of the following two components:
- kochira – こちら : a demonstrative pronoun politely referring to a place close to the speaker. In the phrase, this refers to the speaker’s side politely.
- koso – こそ : a binding particle used to strongly emphasize the preceding word.
These two components tell us that “kochira koso” is literally a strongly emphasized expression for ‘my side’. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very understandable, I think. Japanese native speakers use this phrase as a response to say, for example, “what you said now should’ve come from my side.”
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 “kochira koso” through the detailed check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kochira koso” and its grammatical components in detail. Then, let me explain how to use it through the examples below.
Example #1: how to say “thank you, too” in Japanese
「arigatou」「kochira koso」 – 「ありがとう」「こちらこそ」
“Thank you!” “Thank you, too!”
Below is the new phrase used in the example.
- arigatou – ありがとう : a Japanese phrase meaning ‘thank you’.
This is a typical usage of “kochira koso”. When we want to say “thank you, too” in Japanese, this phrase is a very good option.
Example #2: another usage of “kochira koso”
kanojo ga boku ni「kochira koso」to it ta – 彼女が僕に「こちらこそ」と言った (かのじょがぼくに「こちらこそ」といった)
She said to me, “thank you, too!”
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, this is used after “boku” to indicate to whom she said “thank you, too!”
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what she 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 another typical usage of “kochira koso”. Again, but this phrase is a very good option when we want to say “thank you, too” in Japanese.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kochira koso” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the examples. Let me summarize them as follows.
- kochira koso – こちらこそ : a Japanese phrase meaning ‘thank you, too’, ‘you, too’, ‘me, too’, ‘my pleasure’, or such in Japanese. Japanese native speakers use this phrase as a response when they want to repeat what someone has just said but in the opposite direction. This phrase is literally a strongly emphasized expression for ‘my side’. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the meanings, but still very understandable, I think. Japanese native speakers use this phrase as a response to say, for example, “what you said now should’ve come from my side.”
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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