Okagesama de is the Japanese phrase for ‘thanks to you’

What does “okagesama de” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “okagesama de” often to mean ‘thanks to you’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this phrase as it is sometimes used in Japanese 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 example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “okagesama de” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “okagesama de”
• What does “okagesama de” literally mean in Japanese?
  • Example #1: how to say “thanks to you” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “okagesama de”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “okagesama de”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “okagesama de”.

• okagesama de – お陰様で (おかげさまで) : a Japanese phrase for ‘thanks to your help’, ‘thanks to your support’, or just ‘thanks to you’.

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.

What does “okagesama de” literally mean in Japanese?

“Okagesama de” consists of the following four components:

• o – お : a prefix making its following word polite.
• kage – 陰 (かげ) : a noun meaning ‘shadow’ or ‘shade’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• sama – 様 (さま) : an honorific suffix often used after a name to make it sound polite.
• de – で : a case particle used to say what means someone uses to do something. This is often translated into English as “with” or “by”.

From these four components, we can understand that “okagesama de” is the polite and honorific phrase which literally means ‘by the shadow’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable. Japanese native speakers sometimes use the word meaning a ‘shadow’ as a metaphor for someone’s help, support, or even just presence. So, this Japanese phrase can imply that someone can do something with someone else’s help.

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 “okagesama de” through the detailed check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “okagesama de” together with its grammatical components. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “thanks to you” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi” to make the subject in the sentence.
• genki – 元気 (げんき) : the stem part of the na-adjective, “genkina”, which means ‘fine’ or such in Japanese.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “genki” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “okagesama de”. In this example, it works at the beginning of the sentence to mean ‘thanks to you’ in Japanese.

Example #2: another usage of “okagesama de”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence

• zenbu – 全部 (ぜんぶ) : a noun meaning ‘everything’ or such 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 “zenbu” to make the subject in the sentence.
• umaku – 上手く (うまく) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “umai”, which means ‘well’ or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• iki – 行き (いき) : one conjugation of the verb, “iku“, which means ‘to go’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• mashi – まし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “masu”, which is used after a verb 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. In the example, this is used after “iki mashi” to make its past tense form, “iki mashi ta”, which politely means ‘went’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “okagesama de”. In this example, it works at the beginning of the sentence to mean ‘thanks to your help’ in Japanese. When we want to say “thanks to your help”, “thanks to your support”, or just “thanks to you” in Japanese, this phrase is always a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “okagesama de” 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.

• okagesama de – お陰様で (おかげさまで) : a Japanese phrase for ‘thanks to your help’, ‘thanks to your support’, or just ‘thanks to you’. From the grammatical point of view, this phrase literally means ‘by the shadow’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not in line with the actual meanings, but still understandable. Japanese native speakers sometimes use the word meaning a ‘shadow’ as a metaphor for someone’s help, support, or even just presence. So, this phrase can imply that someone can do something with someone else’s help.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.