What do “omedeto” and “omedetou” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers use these two phrases often in the same way: to mean ‘congratulations’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know these phrases as both are often used in Japanese movies, songs, novels, manga, anime, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain these phrases in detail together with their grammatical background. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “omedeto” and “omedetou” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of “omedeto”
- Definition and meaning of “omedetou”
- What does “omedetou” literally mean in Japanese?
- Omedeto vs. omedetou: which to use
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “omedeto”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “omedeto”.
- omedeto – おめでと : a phrase meaning ‘congratulations’ in Japanese.
Native speakers use this phrase to say “congratulations” in Japanese. This is widely considered as the colloquial version of the other one, “omedetou”. Let me explain it next.
Definition and meaning of “omedetou”
The definition and meaning of “omedetou” are the same as those of the colloquial version. Therefore,
- omedetou – おめでとう : a phrase meaning ‘congratulations’ in Japanese.
This phrase can work in more or less the same way as the colloquial version does. Like other longer phrases, however, “omedetou” is widely considered grammatically correct and therefore formal.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this phrase more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical background in detail.
What does “omedetou” literally mean in Japanese?
“Omedetou” is considered as one conjugation of “omedetai”. This consists of the following three components:
- o – お : a prefix making its following words polite.
- mede – 愛で (めで) : one conjugation of the verb, “mezu”, which means ‘to love’ or ‘to cherish’ in the old Japanese language.
- itashi – いたし : an old adjective used to emphasize the meaning of the words used together.
These three components tell us that “omedetai” and its conjugation, “omedetou”, can literally mean ‘to love much’ politely in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the current meaning of the phrase, but still understandable, I think. When we say “congratulations” to someone, most probably we are in a moment to love much. So, the original concept still remains close to the current meaning.
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 “omedetou” through the detailed check above.
Omedeto vs. omedetou: which to use
So far, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “omedeto” and “omedetou” in detail. Next, let me explain which we should use. Again, but “omedeto” is the colloquial version of “omedetou”. So, we should stick to the longer one to be grammatically correct. In daily conversations, by contrast, the shortened one is very acceptable. In reality, however, Japanese native speakers do not often differentiate one from the other as their pronunciations are very similar. One has the “u” sound at the end, but it is barely noticeable in fact conversations.
Then, let me explain how to use “omedeto” and “omedetou” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to use “omedeto”
「omedeto」to kanojo ga watashi ni karuku it ta – 「おめでと」と彼女が私に軽く言った (「おめでと」とかのじょがわたしにかるくいった)
“Congratulations,” she said to me lightly.
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 the clause to indicate what she said.
- 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.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to say to whom she said.
- karuku – 軽く (かるく) : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “karui”, which means ‘light’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following verb.
- it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu“, which means ‘to say’ 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. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.
This is a typical usage of “omedeto”. When we want to say “congratulations” in Japanese, this phrase is a good option especially in casual conversations.
Example #2: how to use “omedetou”
「omedetou」 to boku wa tegami ni kai ta – 「おめでとう」と僕は手紙に書いた (「おめでとう」とぼくはてがみにかいた)
“Congratulations,” I wrote in a letter.
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.
- tegami – 手紙 (てがみ) : a noun meaning ‘letter’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
- kai – 書い (かい) : one conjugation of the verb, “kaku”, which means ‘to write’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
This is a typical usage of “omedetou”. In writing, we need to be careful with the grammatical correctness. So, the longer version is a very good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “omedeto” and “omedetou” in detail together with the grammatical background. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- omedeto – おめでと : a phrase meaning ‘congratulations’ in Japanese. This is widely considered as the colloquial version of the other one, “omedetou”, but can work in more or less the same way in speaking.
- omedetou – おめでとう : a phrase meaning ‘congratulations’ in Japanese. This is considered as one conjugation of “omedetai” which literally means ‘to love much’ politely in Japanese. This literal interpretation is not completely in line with the current meaning of the phrase, but still understandable, I think. When we say “congratulations” to someone, most probably we are in a moment to love much. So, the original concept still remains close to the current meaning.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.