Omotenashi is the Japanese word for ‘Japanese hospitality’, explained

What does “omotenashi” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “omotenashi” to mean ‘hospitality’ or especially ‘Japanese hospitality’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is often used in the Japanese society. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use it through an example sentence. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “omotenashi” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meaning of “omotenashi”
• Components of “omotenashi”
  • Polite expression of “motenashi”
  • No front side, no back side
• Example: how to say “hospitality” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meaning of “omotenashi”

Let me start with the definition and meaning of “omotenashi”.

• omotenashi – おもてなし : a noun meaning ‘hospitality’ in Japanese. Japanese people use this word especially to mean ‘Japanese hospitality’.

This noun became famous through the Olympic and Paralympic invitation presentation in 2013, I think. The presenter used this to refer to Japanese hospitality.

The definition and meaning are simple and clear, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its components in detail, one by one.

Components of “omotenashi”

Interestingly, “omotenashi” can be broken down into two components in two different ways. I will explain both ways in detail.

Polite expression of “motenashi”

In the first way, “omotenashi” can be broken down into the following two parts:

• o – お : a polite and honorific prefix used to make the following word polite.
• motenashi – もてなし : a noun meaning ‘hospitality’, ‘reception’, or ‘service’ for guests.

“O” is a prefix widely used to make polite expressions in Japanese. We can use it before a noun, verb, or adjective to make it sound polite.

“Motenashi” can be considered as the noun form of the verb, “motenasu”, which means ‘to welcome’, ‘to treat’, or ‘to entertain’ in Japanese. Some Japanese verbs can be changed to their noun forms by replacing the last “u” vowel with “i”. “Motenasu” is one typical. It can be changed to its noun form, “motenashi”, by replacing the last “u” with “i”. “H” is just inserted due to the rule of the writing system.

From these two comments, we can understand that “omotenashi” is literally the polite expression of “motenashi” and means ‘hospitality’ politely in Japanese. This is the explanation for the first way. Next, let me explain the second way as follows.

No front side, no back side

In the second way, “omotenashi” can be broken down into the following two parts:

• omote – おもて : a noun meaning ‘top side’, ‘front side’, or ‘face’ in Japanese.
• nashi – なし : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “nai“, which is used to deny the existence of things.

Japanese people often use “omote” in comparison with its antonym, “ura”, which means ‘bottom side’ or ‘back side’ in Japanese. They quite often use “ura” as a metaphor for something hidden behind the front side, in other words, an intention hidden behind someone’s behavior. Naturally, its antonym, “omote”, can work as a metaphor for someone’s behavior that we can see.

From the two components listed above, we can make the assumption: “omotenashi” denies the existence of someone’s behavior. This is correct. We need to be aware, however, that “omotenashi” can also deny the existence of the intention hidden behind. Normally, Japanese people consider that omote and ura are inseparable and also that if one doesn’t exist, neither does the other. So, in a way, “omotenashi” is always “uranashi”, and both can be considered as a metaphor for service with one integrated mind. This is the explanation for the second way.

Example: how to use “omotenashi” in Japanese

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “omotenashi” and the two different ways to interpret it. Next, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make its plural form, “kanojo tachi”, which means ‘they’ in Japanese. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “kanojo tachi” to make its possessive case, “kanojo tachi no”, which means ‘their’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kanojo tachi no omotenashi”, to make the object in the sentence.
• kanjiru – 感じる (かんじる) : a verb meaning ‘to feel’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “omotenashi”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “kanojo tachi no omotenashi”, which means ‘their hospitality’ in Japanese. When we want to say “hospitality” in Japanese, this polite expression is a very good option.

Summary

In this blot post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “omotenashi” in detail based on its grammatical components. Let me summarize them as follows.

• omotenashi – おもてなし : a noun meaning ‘hospitality’ in Japanese. Japanese people use this word especially to mean ‘Japanese hospitality’.

This can be broken down into two parts in two different ways. The components are as follows.

• o – お : a polite and honorific prefix used to make the following word polite.
• motenashi – もてなし : a noun meaning ‘hospitality’, ‘reception’, or ‘service’ for guests.

From these two components, we can understand that “omotenashi” is literally the polite expression of “motenashi” and means ‘hospitality’.

• omote – おもて : a noun meaning ‘top side’, ‘front side’, or ‘face’ in Japanese.
• nashi – なし : one conjugation of the i-adjective, “nai”, which is used to deny the existence of things.

From these two components, we can understand that “omotenashi” is a metaphor for service with one integrated mind.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.