Lesson 56 · about 5 minutes

Leaving and returning home

ittekimasu · itterasshai · tadaima · okaeri

いってきます・いってらっしゃい・ただいま・おかえり

You'll learn the four-line set families use when someone leaves and comes home.

The words

RomajiJapaneseReadingMeaning
ittekimasuいってきますいってきますI'm heading out (and will come back) — said by the person leaving
itterasshaiいってらっしゃいいってらっしゃいsee you / take care (while you're out) — said by people staying
tadaimaただいまただいまI'm home — said by the person returning
okaeriおかえり / おかえりなさい (okaerinasai)おかえりwelcome back — said by people at home

How they differ

Two pairs, locked together: 1. Leave → 「いってきます。」↔「いってらっしゃい。」 2. Return → 「ただいま。」↔「おかえり（なさい）。」

You'll see these constantly in stories and anime-style dialogue. They're social ritual more than grammar. Polite おかえりなさい vs casual おかえり matches relationship and age.

Door duet: out · care · back · welcome. いってきます = I go-and-come, いってらっしゃい = go safely, ただいま = just now (home), おかえり = welcome return.

One line: いってきます↔いってらっしゃい / ただいま↔おかえり.

Next: Getting to know someone: おなまえは? / どこから きましたか? / なにを していますか?

See it in a sentence

  1. ittekimasu

    いってきます。

    I'm heading out. (be back later)

  2. itterasshai

    いってらっしゃい。

    See you — take care.

  3. tadaima

    ただいま。

    I'm home.

  4. okaerinasai

    おかえりなさい。

    Welcome back. (polite/warm)

  5. okaeri!

    おかえり!

    Welcome home! (casual)

Watch out

いってきます = leaver's line / いってらっしゃい = stayer's line — don't swap roles ただいま = I'm home — not いま (now) alone, though related to "just now" おかえり = welcome back — different from かえります (I return) as a plain verb

Try it

  1. In your next story, find one of the four. Say which half of the door duet it is: leave or return, speaker or home side.

    Check against the lesson cluster and say it out loud.