Greetings & everyday expressions

Everyday expressions at home

Everyday expressions at home are short sentences that family members use in daily activities, such as coming home, eating, leaving, and going to sleep. These expressions are fixed, so it is best to memorize them together with the situations in which they are used.

• ただいま (tadaima, I am home) — said upon arriving home to let family members know that we have returned.
• ただいま、帰りました (tadaima, kaerimashita, I am home) — the polite past form of 帰る(かえる, to return home) added after ただいま. This form is often used when greeting family members just after arriving home.
• おかえり (okaeri, welcome back) — the reply from a family member who is already at home when we say ただいま.
• いってきます (ittekimasu, I am leaving now) — said when leaving the house. Its counterpart is いってらっしゃい (itterasshai, take care on the way), which is said by the person who stays at home. Neither is used when just coming home.
• いただきます (itadakimasu, let us eat) — said before eating as an expression of gratitude for the meal. This expression is used both at home and in restaurants.
• ごちそうさま (gochisousama, thank you for the meal) — said after finishing a meal.
• おやすみなさい (oyasuminasai, good night, rest well) — said before going to sleep or when parting at night. This expression is not used when arriving home.
• ありがとう (arigatou, thank you) — a casual expression of thanks to family members. It is used to express gratitude for someone's help or gift.
• 〜てもらう (~te morau, to receive an action from someone) — this pattern indicates that the speaker receives help from another person. Example: 「母に手紙を書いてもらいました。」(Mother wrote a letter for me.) This pattern is often used together with expressions of thanks.
• 〜てあげる (~te ageru, to do something for someone) — expresses an action done for another person, and it can also be an offer. This pattern differs from 〜てもらう because the direction of the help is reversed.
• 〜ておく (~te oku, to do something in advance) — expresses an action prepared beforehand for a later need. Example: 「朝ごはんを用意しておきました。」(I prepared breakfast in advance.)
• もうすぐ (mousugu, soon) — indicates that something will be finished or will happen in the near future. It is often used to answer 「まだ？」(not yet?) when something is not finished yet but will be ready soon.
• 〜から (kara, because) — expresses a reason or cause. Example: 「雨が降るから、傘を持ってね。」(Because it will rain, take an umbrella, okay.)
• 〜ね (ne, gentle request or reminder) — adds a soft tone and expresses the speaker's hope that the listener will do something. Example: 「もう少し待ってね。」(Please wait a little longer, okay.)

Everyday expressions at home

Everyday expressions at home are short sentences used among family members in a casual register (タメ口). In this register, 「うん」 (yes) and 「ううん」 (no) are used as short answers, while the sentence-final particles 「よ」 and 「ね」 add a friendly nuance.

• 何人(なんにん, how many people) — used to ask about the number of people. The answer is a number + 人, for example 「三人です」 or 「二人います」. Example: 「兄弟は何人いますか。」 → 「二人います。」
• ただいま / おかえり(なさい) — 「ただいま」 is said upon arriving home, and is answered with 「おかえりなさい」. Example: 「ただいま。今日は寒かったね。」
• いってきます / いってらっしゃい — 「いってきます」 is said when leaving home, and is answered with 「いってらっしゃい」. Example: 「いってきます。」
• いただきます / ごちそうさま — 「いただきます」 is said before eating as an expression of gratitude, while 「ごちそうさま」 is said after the meal is finished. Examples: 「いただきます。」 (before eating) and 「ごちそうさま。おいしかった。」 (after eating).
• 〜てもらう — to receive an action from another person. The appropriate expression of thanks is 「ありがとう」. Example: 「友だちに本を貸してもらいました。ありがとう。」
• 〜かった（おいしかった） — past form of the い-adjective (おいしい) used to express an impression of something that has already happened. Example: 「昨日のカレーは辛かったよ。」
• 何ですか — a question about the name of an object or a menu item. The answer is the name of the item, not 「食べました」 or 「おいしかった」. Example: 「明日の朝ごはん、何ですか。」 → 「パンですよ。」
• 〜にする — expresses a decision to choose something. Example: 「今日は魚にします。」
• 〜ところ / 〜ばかり — 「〜ところ」 means just finished, while 「〜たばかり」 means just happened. Examples: 「今、着いたところです。」 and 「さっき起きたばかりです。」
• 〜なさい — a firm imperative form commonly used by parents toward children. Example: 「もう寝なさい。」
• 〜てくる / 〜ていく — 「〜てくる」 expresses movement toward the speaker, while 「〜ていく」 expresses movement away from the speaker. Example: 「コンビニでパンを買ってくるね。」
• 〜つもり — expresses a plan or intention. Example: 「明日は早く出るつもりです。」
• 六時ごろ / 七時ごろ — 「〜ごろ」 means around, used to state an approximate time. Example: 「七時ごろ帰るよ。」
• 〜から — expresses a reason, often used with an invitation or a command. Example: 「すぐ行くから、待ってて。」
• 夕ごはん / 晩ごはん(ばんごはん, dinner) — vocabulary for dinner at home. Example: 「今日の晩ごはんは何？」
• 父(ちち) / 母(はは) — used when talking about one's own parents to other people, while 「お母さん」 is used when directly calling or referring to one's own mother. Example: 「誰が作ったの？」 → 「父が作ったよ。」
• 冷蔵庫(れいぞうこ, refrigerator)に入れる — to store food so that it does not spoil. Food left in a warm place can 「悪くなる(わるくなる, to go bad)」. Example: 「牛乳は冷蔵庫に入れてね。」

Expressions for leaving work

Expressions for leaving work are used when someone goes home or leaves the workplace before other colleagues have finished.

• お先に失礼します(おさきにしつれいします, I am excusing myself and leaving before you) — a standard expression said to colleagues who are still working, before going home. This expression is not used to express thanks or to make a request. Example: 「お先に失礼します。お疲れさまです。」
• 失礼しました — a past-tense form used after a task is finished or after a small apology, not when about to go home. Example: 「遅れて失礼しました。」
• お先に〜ています — 「お先に食べています」 means having already started eating first, so it is not used to say goodbye before going home. The pattern 「〜ています」 expresses an action that is in progress.
• まだ仕事が残っています(しごとがのこっています, work is still remaining) — states that work has not yet been finished. This expression contradicts the situation of someone who has finished and is about to go home.
• 仕事が終わりました — 「終わる」 (to finish) is an intransitive verb used for work that has been completed.
• ただいま戻りました(もどりました, I have returned) — said when returning to the workplace after going out, not when leaving.
• おはようございます — a morning greeting that is not used to say goodbye when leaving.
• いってらっしゃい — said by someone who stays to a person who is leaving, so it is not used by someone who is leaving themselves.

Expressions for asking for repetition

Expressions for asking for repetition are used when someone cannot hear or does not understand what the other person said.

• もう一度(もういちど, once more) — used in the pattern 「もう一度言ってください」 (please say it once more). Example: 「もう一度おねがいします。」
• 〜てください — a common, polite request form. Example: 「もう少し説明してください。」
• 〜ていただけますか — a more polite request form used toward a person who deserves respect, such as a teacher or a superior. Example: 「もう一度言っていただけますか。」
• わかりません / わかりました — 「わかりません」 means I do not understand, and it is usually followed by a request for an explanation. 「わかりました」 means I understand, so it does not ask for repetition.
• 聞こえません(きこえません, cannot be heard) — used when the other person's voice cannot be heard. Example: 「声が聞こえませんでした。」
• では(kalau begitu → then, in that case) — a response marker followed by the next action. Example: 「では、ゆっくり言いますね。」
• 〜ましょうか — an offer from the speaker to do something, not a request to the listener. Example: 「もう一度説明しましょうか。」
• 〜なければなりません — expresses an obligation. This form does not express a request. Example: 「もう一度確認しなければなりません。」
• 〜に行きます — 「聞きに行きます」 means going somewhere in order to do something. This expression expresses the speaker's own plan.
• 漢字の読み方(よみかた, how to read kanji) — vocabulary for questions about how to read a kanji. Example: 「この漢字の読み方がわかりません。」

Greeting expressions

Greeting expressions are used to convey happiness about good events that other people experience.