You should be familiar with some Japanese phrases whether you’re dining with newly made Japanese friends, dining at a Sushi bar, or having a lunch meeting with a new Japanese customer. The majority of Japanese will forgive you if you do not grasp their practices and traditional words, but you display excellent manners and respect to others by adopting standard etiquette. “Irasshaimase” is an example of such a phrase.
Most travelers encounter the phrase “Irasshaimase!” (いらっしゃいませ！), which translates as “Welcome to the business!” or “Please come in!” within minutes of arriving in anyJapanese restaurant. It is simply one of the numerous traditional Japanese techniques of extending a warm welcome to new clients on a formal basis. After saying Irasshaimase, the waitressor waiterwill inquire about the number of individuals in your group before escorting you to your assigned table.
If you have ever traveled to Japan, you will be familiar with the phrase. Not once, but on numerous occasions. Several times over, its pitch can fluctuate from high and shortto low and gruff, depending on the situation. The phrase is universal whether spoken by a single female staffer at a prestigious department shop or a group of chefs at a run-down Ramen restaurant. At any time of day or night, you can hear it shouted with complete apathy, or it can besaid with great enthusiasm, volume, and joy of life that you could think you have accidentally walked into your own Japanese birthday bash.
The question is, though, what the word actually means and where it came from. The phrase “Irasshaimase!” is a more formal variant of the phrase irasshai, which is an imperative version of the polite verb irassharu (), which literally translates as “to be/come/go.” The ‘mase’ ending is frequently put to the end of words in order to make them more courteous. It is simple to believe, given the fact that there are so many other methods to be friendly, why not add one more to the list? Marketplace vendors first used the phrase to get customers to come to their particular stand in a marketplace.
Over time, it has evolved into a standard greeting that can be found in practically every restaurant andretail outlet throughout Japan. Customers can hear it from outside supermarkets, inside shops, at checkout counters, petrol stations, the sale stands, and wherever else that staff has the opportunity to shout it out.
What do you have to say in response to Irasshaimase?
You are under no obligation to react; however, you can simply use a customary greeting like
Ohayo gozaimasu. (It means Good morning)
Konnichiwa (it means Hello in the daytime)
Konbanwa (it means Good evening).
Alternatively, you might simply nod as a casual bow.
Irasshaimase is simply a greeting you get when you walk into a restaurant or a store. You are under no obligation to tell anything. No, there isn’t any expectation on your part that you will answer.
Upon entering a restaurant, customers are greeted with the expression "irasshaimase" meaning "welcome, please come in". The waiter or waitress will ask you how many people are in your party and then lead you to your table. Only in rare cases are customers expected to seat themselves.
"Iroiro arigato gozaimash*ta" means, "Thank you for everything," and would be a polite way to show your gratitude to staff as you leave the restaurant.
When you enter restaurants and shops, you will hear all the staff say "irasshaimase" to say hello to the customer. Don't be afraid, the staff don't wait for any reply, but you can say thank you with a nod and a smile.
There's no need to say it, for example, to someone entering your house, although you could say the less formal irasshai (いらっしゃい) to an arriving house guest. And when you hear irasshaimase? The correct response is not to respond except with a polite nod of acknowledgement.
A walk into a Japanese restaurant will often prompt the enthusiastic shout of "Irasshaimase!” by their staff. Whilst unknowing customers may be surprised by this loud noise greeting their entry, the English translation will warm their hearts. "Welcome to the store!" is what the restaurant staff are shouting.
Moshimoshi(もしもし) , only used in phone calls nowadays, means "hello" in English. At the very beginning, it was" moushiagemasu (申し上げます), literally meaning "I am speaking", which could be found in phone-call-dialogues and writen Japanese.
You don't have to know how to pronounce “irasshaimase” (E-RAH-SHY-MA-SEH) or what the Japanese greeting translates to (“Welcome,” roughly) to feel noticed when a chorus of chefs yells it in your direction.
When someone greets you in Japanese with “Konnichiwa” it is best to respond with the same phrase “Konnichiwa”. Even though it means “Good afternoon” or “Hello” and is usually used around noon or in the afternoon, it is common to…
Not finishing one's meal is not considered impolite in Japan, but rather is taken as a signal to the host that one wishes to be served another helping. Conversely, finishing one's meal completely, especially the rice, indicates that one is satisfied and therefore does not wish to be served any more.
Do Japanese people say arigatou? Yes, they do! Arigatou on its own is a simple, somewhat casual “thank you.” That said, most people prefer doumo arigatou or arigatou gozaimasu as their standard way of saying thanks, because both of those phrases are more polite than arigatou on its own.
"Irasshaimase!" the chefs are all yelling in unison the moment you enter their restaurant. It's a surprise the first time it happens but get used to it, it's standard practice throughout Japan.
"Ohayou gozaimasu" (おはようございます): This greeting means "Good morning."Response: You can respond with "Ohayou gozaimasu" to reciprocate the greeting. Alternatively, a simple "Ohayou" (おはよう) is also common.
“Dou itashimash*te” (どう致しまして) means “You're welcome” and is widely known as the common response to “arigato gozaimasu”, but it sounds rather stiff and formal. “Iie iie” (いいえいいえ) or “ii yo ii yo” (いいよいいよ) translate as “Not at all” and are casual replies that are more frequently used in daily life.
Irasshaimase and yokoso are both words of welcome used when greeting customers as they enter. You will hear them when you enter almost any shop in addition to izakaya, but it can be confusing the first time you hear it! It sounds like they're shouting at you as you walk in, but it's just a heart welcome.
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