Is Itadakimasu Polite?

The short answer: While it’s often translated before meals as something similar to the French, “ Bon appétit! ”, itadakimasu is actually the polite and humble form of the verb “to receive”, so in a literal sense, it means, “I humbly receive”. From our resident Japanese expert:

The Meaning of “Itadakimasu” いただく (Itadaku) is a phrase that is very polite with the meaning “to take.” Traditionally itadakimasu is used when taking something from someone with higher authority or position than oneself.

Itadakimasu is a very polite and respectful form of “moraimasu” (to receive) or “tabemasu” (to eat). The kanji of itadakimasu 頂 has several meanings, among which “the top of the head” and “to receive”. The expression relates to the traditional way of showing gratitude by elevating above one’s head the gift received.

What does Itadakimasu actually mean? Itadakimasu is actually the polite and humble form of the verb “to receive”, so it actually means, “I humbly receive”. But most commonly, it is used before having a meal, meaning ”let’s eat”.

いただく (Itadaku) is a phrase that is very polite with the meaning “to take.” Traditionally itadakimasu is used when taking something from someone with higher authority or position than oneself.

Pronunciation of Itadakimasu. For those of you that don’t know hiragana yet, “itadakimasu” is pronounced like “ee-tah-dah-kee-mah-su.” Written instructions aren’t very helpful, though, so here are some samples from native speakers:

If you’ve watched anime or other Japanese media, you’ve probably heard the phrases いただきます (itadakimasu) and ごちそうさまでした (gochisousama deshita). But what do they mean? When eating food is involved, Itadakimasu is translated as, “I receive this meal.” Gochisousama deshita means “thank you for the meal.”

When eating in Japan, the phrase itadakimasu (meaning “I receive this food”) is usually used. This is intended to express gratitude to the individuals who prepared the meal. Do Japanese Always Say Itadakimasu?

Why is itadakimasu so popular?

The use of “itadakimasu” became popular around World War II because of mass media frequently using it on television shows. You could even say that it became a wildly popular trend in modern Japanese culture.

The Meaning of “Itadakimasu”. いただく (Itadaku) is a phrase that is very polite with the meaning “to take.”. Traditionally itadakimasu is used when taking something from someone with higher authority or position than oneself. In this sense, the head is bowed with the hands held, palms up, higher than the head to receive an item.

I hope it isn’t a curse ?). It is currently used when eating because you are taking a very precious gift of another organism’s life. Itadaku comes from one of the three types of 敬語 ( keigo, “polite language”). Specifically, this is 謙譲語 ( kenjougo ), “the humble form,” which is used to figuratively lower oneself.

You certainly won’t hear American children in public schools saying something as a group before eating. The phrase “itadakimasu,” however, is universal in Japan, and it is very important for culture and serves multiple purposes.

What does itadakimasu mean?

Adults even say it when they’re eating alone. Itadakimasu is technically kenjougo, or humble Japanese. The literal translation of the root word “ 頂く” ( itadaku) is to (humbly) receive. The less humble way of saying itadakimasu is もらいます ( moraimasu ).

Although the habit of saying it only spread around the early 20th century, itadakimasu is such a staple of Japanese etiquette that some babies are taught to say it before they can even talk! Kids are expected to say it in school when eating lunch with their class. Adults even say it when they’re eating alone.

Gochisousama literally translates to “it was a great feast. ”. Deshita is simply the past tense of です ( desu) or to be. Gochisousama deshita is used in the past tense because you say it after you’ve finished your meal. The word ご馳走 (ごちそう、 gochisou) might mean “a feast” in modern Japanese, but it has its roots in old mealtime etiquette …

The word ご馳走 (ごちそう、 gochisou) might mean “a feast” in modern Japanese, but it has its roots in old mealtime etiquette and tradition as well. The two kanji that makes up ご馳走 has more to do with horses and running than they do with food (馳 – to gallop, 走 – to run).