Question
I started a three-month assignment at our Tokyo office last week. Every evening when a colleague leaves their desk, they say something that sounds like “otsukaresama” to the room, and people murmur it back. I have no idea what it means or whether I’m supposed to say it too. What does お疲（つか）れさま mean?
Answer by Professional Japanese Teacher
お疲（つか）れさまです。
Otsukaresama desu.
Thanks for your hard work.
お疲（つか）れさまです is the all-purpose workplace greeting in Japan. People use it when arriving, when passing in the hallway, when finishing a meeting, and especially when someone is leaving for the day. The literal meaning is closer to “you must be tired” — an acknowledgement of the other person’s effort — but in practice it functions like a social “hello / goodbye / thanks for everything” rolled into one.
One register warning. You’ll sometimes see ご苦労（くろう）さま in textbooks listed as a synonym. It isn’t. ご苦労さま flows downward only — a boss can say it to a subordinate, but a subordinate saying it to a boss sounds rude. Stick with お疲れさま regardless of who you’re talking to and you’ll be safe. Use です for ongoing situations (passing someone in the corridor) and でした when the work is finished (someone is heading home).
Word-by-word breakdown
お — honorific prefix. Softens the noun and signals politeness toward the listener.
疲（つか）れ — tiredness, fatigue. The noun form of the verb 疲（つか）れる (to get tired).
さま (様) — honorific suffix. Normally attached to names like “Mr/Ms,” but here it softens the abstract noun rather than naming a person.
です — polite copula. Switch to でした (past tense) when the work itself is done.
A practical pattern for your office. When a colleague leaves before you, say お疲（つか）れさまでした to see them off. When you’re the one leaving, pair お先（さき）に失礼（しつれい）します (“excuse me for going first”) with their reply of お疲（つか）れさまでした.
