• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Japanese Particles Master

particles for perfection

  • Home
  • grammar
  • particles
  • nouns
  • verbs
  • adjectives
  • adverbs
  • translation
  • Author
Home » translation » Omatase is the Japanese phrase for ‘sorry to have kept you waiting’

June 26, 2022 By Masaki Mori

Omatase is the Japanese phrase for ‘sorry to have kept you waiting’

What does “omatase” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “omatase” to mean ‘sorry to have kept you waiting’, ‘thank you for waiting’, or such 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 original expression. And also, I will explain how to use it through an example sentence. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “omatase” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

  • Definition and meanings of “omatase”
  • Origin of “omatase”
    • Example: how to say “sorry to have kept you waiting” in Japanese
  • Summary

Definition and meanings of “omatase”

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

  • omatase – お待たせ (おまたせ) : a phrase meaning ‘sorry to have kept you waiting’, ‘thank you for waiting’, or such in Japanese.

Native speakers use this phrase to express their apology or appreciation to someone who has been waiting for them. So, the usage of this phrase is similar to those of the English ones above, I think.

The definition and meanings are not that difficult. To understand this phrase more clearly, however, let me explain its original expression.

Origin of “omatase”

“Omatase” is the shortened version of “omataseshimashita”. Let me explain the grammatical components of this longer and official version as follows.

  • o – お : a prefix used to make its following word polite.
  • matase – 待たせ (またせ) : the noun form of the verb, “mataseru”, which means ‘to keep someone or something waiting’ in Japanese.
  • shi – し : one conjugation of “suru”. It is a verb meaning ‘to do’, ‘to perform’, or such in Japanese. When it follows a noun, however, it can work to make the verb form of the preceding noun.
  • mashi – まし : one conjugation of the auxiliary verb, “masu”, which is used after a verb to make it polite.
  • ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form.

From these five components, we can understand that “omataseshimashita” is literally the polite past tense expression which means ‘to have kept someone waiting’. The shortened version still has the same concept. So, “omatase” can work to say “sorry to have kept you waiting” in Japanese.

When we meet new Japanese phrases, we should check their origins and grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, origins and grammatical components tell us a lot about the meanings of the phrases they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “omatase” through the detailed check above.

Then, let me explain how to use “omatase” through the example sentence below.

Example: how to say “sorry to have kept you waiting” in Japanese

「omatase」 to kanojo wa boku ni it ta – 「お待たせ」と彼女は僕に言った (「おまたせ」とかのじょはぼくにいった)

“Sorry to have kept you waiting,” she said to me.

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

  • to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after “omatase” to indicate what “kanojo” said to “boku”.
  • kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
  • wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works 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 to whom an action is directed. In the example, this is used after “boku” to say to whom the action described by “it ta” is directed.
  • it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu”, which means ‘to say’, ‘to tell’, ‘to speak’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
  • ta – た : the same as explained above. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.

This is a typical usage of “omatase”. In this example, it works to mean ‘sorry to have kept you waiting’ in Japanese. Japanese people do not often appreciate for someone’s patience in this kind of situation, but express apology for being late.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “omatase” in detail based on its original expression. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentence. Let me summarize them as follows.

  • omatase – お待たせ (おまたせ) : a phrase meaning ‘sorry to have kept you waiting’, ‘thank you for waiting’, or such in Japanese. Native speakers use this phrase to express their apology or appreciation to someone who has been waiting for them. This phrase originally came from “omataseshimashita” which is literally the polite past tense expression for ‘to have kept someone waiting’.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.

  • Share on Twitter Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook Share on Facebook
  • Share on Pinterest Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit Share on Reddit
  • Share via Email Share via Email

Learn more vocabulary on the app!

You can improve your Japanese vocabulary with our flashcards.

Get it on Google Play

Filed Under: translation

Primary Sidebar

Written by Masaki Mori

Engineer and industrial translator for more than ten years. I teach Japanese to spread the Japanese culture. I always try to explain every single new word so that Japanese learners can understand the true meanings of example sentences. Read More…

Follow Me on Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Learn more words by kanji groups

Kanji for bad Kanji for beauty Kanji for big Kanji for cat Kanji for child Kanji for day Kanji for devil Kanji for eye Kanji for fire Kanji for god Kanji for hand Kanji for he Kanji for heart Kanji for heaven Kanji for mood Kanji for moon Kanji for mouth Kanji for night Kanji for now Kanji for one of a pair Kanji for person Kanji for rain Kanji for time Kanji for tree Kanji for week Kanji for what Kanji for woman Kanji for year

Check recent posts

  • Houkago is the Japanese word for ‘time after school’, explained
  • Shinjin is the Japanese word for ‘newbie’, explained
  • Wakeru is the Japanese verb for ‘to share’, explained
  • Kitaeru is the Japanese verb for ‘to train’, explained
  • Hi has two different meanings in Japanese, explained

Are you still looking for something?

Footer

Pages

  • Author
  • Privacy Policy

Categories

  • adjectives
  • adverbs
  • grammar
  • nouns
  • particles
  • translation
  • verbs
  • vocabulary

Feed

  • RSS

Follow Me on Social Media

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2017–2023 Japanese Particles Master All Rights Reserved.