Question
I went to Japan for holiday and we stayed at a Japanese inn for the first time. When we were there, the staff served us dinner in our room.
We had sashimi and even a small hotpot, just like what my friends had been posting on their Instagram! When the staff said “さあ、どうぞ召し上がってください saa, doozo meshiagattekudasai” (Enjoy your food), I wanted to reply “Thanks for the food” but how do I say it in Japanese?
Answer by Professional Japanese Teacher
いただきます。
Itadakimasu.
Thank you for the food.
“いただきます itakakimasu” is the humble form of “もらいます、食べます moraimasu, tabemasu” (to receive, to eat).
The direct translation is “I humbly receive it”. The origin of this expression is unclear but there are two main theories.
Some say it is an expression used when eating food offered before the gods in Shintoism. Others say it shows a sense of gratitude toward life forms that were killed as food for humans as taught in Buddhism.
Japanese children are taught from young to say this phrase before mealtimes. If they start eating without saying this phrase, they will be scolded by their parents for having poor manners.
At school, they are taught that this is an expression to give thanks to the meat, fish, eggs, and plants that will nourish and sustain their lives, as well as to give thanks to their parents, farmers and other people who work hard to provide and serve food on the table.
There is no equivalent expression in English and you may think of this as a way to say prayers before eating. I am sure that the inn staff would be very pleased if you say “itadakimasu” to her.
For more information how to say Thank you in Japanese, check out this link:
Arigatoo is a fast way of saying "thank you" in Japanese. But do you know that there are many ways of saying "thank you"? And do you also know that these different ways target different people for different occasions? Let's find out more!
