How to explain "itadakimasu" to forigners?

[euske]

I think "Itadakimasu (窶堋｢窶堋ｽ窶堋ｾ窶堋ｫ窶堙懌?堋ｷ)" is one of the important phrases that define Japanese mindset. Here in the U.S., I am still trying to say itadakimasu whenever eating something. People sometimes ask me "what's that?" and I try to explain it as a greeting to the food. But I found it awkward. I think it has a bit religious meaning. Since I'm a Buddhist, I could explain it as thanks to the lives they sacrificed for us. But I'd like to make it not sound too much religious, because people in Japan say this word regardless of their religion.

So I'd like to hear other people's opinions. For Japanese readers, how would you explain "itadakimasu" to foreigners? For non-Japanese readers, what is your understanding about this word? Please forgive me if this question is inappropriate to this forum.

 

[nice gaijin]

I equate it to giving thanks for the food or drink which you are about to receive. It is a humbling form of not only the verbs for eating and drinking, but also receiving. If I had to give a name to it that most Americans would understand, I'd call it "saying grace" but it doesn't have quite the same religious connotations.

 

[strongvoicesforward]

=I will graciously/humbly receive this.

 

[Da Monstar]

In Denmark we have a similar word. its "Velbekommen" but are commonly used to wish someone a good apetite, or hope that the food will taste them.
But yes I will agree with strongvoicesforward on the translation part. It seems obvious and good.

 

[yukio_michael]

Strongvoicesfoward gave a pretty apt description/usable translation, though I myself like to think of it the way the original poster posed it... However, I think most people in Japan, especially younger people, do think of it the way S.V.F. described it, an idiomatic phrase, much like "ohayo---".

Anyways, itadakimasu, gochisousama deshita, otsukare sama (deshita), & osomatsusama, are all very imporant words in Japan, and will always earn you a better reputation with their usage.

 

[Kyoko_desu]

窶愿ｺ窶怒ﾅ津ｪ窶堙固檀ﾅ津ｪ窶堙俄?堙最ｽﾅｸ窶堙娯?啌ﾅｽﾃｭ窶氾樞?堋ｪ窶堋?窶堙ｨ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ。
1ﾂ）窶卩｡窶扣ﾅ津ｪ (teinei go) - polite form
2ﾂ）窶伉ｸﾅ檀ﾅ津ｪ (sonkei go) - respecting form
3ﾂ）ﾅ陳ｪﾂ湘ｷﾅ津ｪ (kenjyou go) - humbling form
ﾂ「窶堋｢窶堋ｽ窶堋ｾ窶堋ｫ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ」窶堙債「ﾂ食窶堙冷?堙懌?堋ｷﾂ」窶堙固陳ｪﾂ湘ｷﾅ津ｪ窶堙??堋ｷﾂ。
窶堋ｻ窶堋ｵ窶堙?、ﾂ「ﾂ食窶堙冷?堙懌?堋ｷﾂ」窶堙債「ﾂ食窶堙冷?堙ｩﾂ」窶堙娯?卩｡窶扣ﾅ津ｪ窶堙遺?堙ｱ窶堙??堋ｷﾂ。
ﾂ（窶堋ｿ窶堙遺?堙昶?堙可、ﾂ「ﾂ食窶堙冷?堙ｩﾂ」窶堙娯?伉ｸﾅ檀ﾅ津ｪ窶堙債「ﾂ渉｢窶堋ｵﾂ湘｣窶堋ｪ窶堙ｩﾂ」窶堙??堋ｷﾂ。ﾂ）
ﾂ「窶堋｢窶堋ｽ窶堋ｾ窶堋ｫ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ」窶堙??堋｢窶堋､窶堙娯?堙債、ﾅｽ窶樞?堙個考窶堋ｦ窶堙??堙債、
ﾂ「ﾅｽ窶樞?堙債債｡窶堋ｩ窶堙ｧ窶堋ｱ窶堙娯?堋ｲ窶堋ｿ窶堋ｻ窶堋､窶堙ｰ窶堋｢窶堋ｽ窶堋ｾ窶堋ｫ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ。ﾂ」窶堙??堋｢窶堋､窶｢ﾂｶ窶堙ｰﾂ湘遺?板ｪ窶堋ｵ窶堋ｽ窶堙?窶堙娯?堋ｾ窶堙?ｽv窶堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ。
nice gaijin窶堋ｳ窶堙ｱ窶堋ｪ窶堋ｨ窶堙≫?堋ｵ窶堙｡窶堙≫?堋ｽ窶堙ｦ窶堋､窶堙可、ﾅ檀ﾅ津ｪ窶堙ｰﾅｽg窶堋､窶堋ｱ窶堙??堙俄?堙ｦ窶堙ｨﾂ、ﾂ食窶堙冷?｢ﾂｨ窶堙俄?佚寂?堋ｷ窶堙ｩﾅ?'ﾅｽﾃ凪?堙娯?ｹCﾅｽﾂ昶?堋ｿ窶堙ｰ窶｢\窶堋ｵ窶堙??堋｢窶堙ｩﾅ陳ｾ窶杯窶堋ｾ窶堙?ｽv窶堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ。ﾂ
ﾂ宗窶ｹﾂｳ窶廬窶堙依?凪?督｡窶堋ｪ窶堋?窶堙ｩ窶堙??堋｢窶堋､窶堋ｱ窶堙??堙債、窶冪窶堋ｸ窶堋ｩ窶堋ｵ窶堙遺?堋ｪ窶堙ｧ窶愿ｺ窶怒ﾂ人窶堙遺?堙娯?堙俄?冦窶堙ｨ窶堙懌?堋ｹ窶堙ｱ窶堙??堋ｵ窶堋ｽﾂ。窶｢ﾃ冷?ｹﾂｭ窶堙俄?堙遺?堙ｨ窶堙懌?堋ｵ窶堋ｽﾂ！
窶堋ｻ窶堙ｪ窶堋ｩ窶堙ｧﾂ、窶ｰpﾅ津ｪ窶堙?静?窶督ｾ窶堙??堋ｫ窶堙遺?堋ｭ窶堙??堋ｲ窶堙溪?堙ｱ窶堙遺?堋ｳ窶堋｢ﾂ！

 

[yukio_michael]

how about... An expression of gratitude before meals... pretty sucinct.

 

[Mamoru-kun]

With all due respect, I think that you are, as most of us "westerners", try too hard to find a " deep meaning" into those kind of sentences. "Itadakimau" is just, as Kyoko stated, a polite form of "I'm eating", or "I'll eat now". It's what I finally became to "feel" after years of meats with my wife (and even with her parents). I don't deny the fact that one can put strong feelings in that sentence, but the fact is that a lot of (if not the most) japanese people will hear it simply as a "I'm eating!" phrase, at which they will just answer "Please do so!" (Douzo!) ;-)

Where it came from, and why it's polite to say it before eating, that is another question I cannot answer ;-)

 

[Gaijinian]

You're in New York, so who's the "foreigner" you speak of?
ﾆ但ﾆ陳?椎?ﾆ谷窶堙俄?堋｢窶堙ｩ窶堋ｩ窶堙ｧﾂ、ﾂ『ﾅ?Oﾂ人ﾂ』窶堋ｪ窶儂窶堙娯?堋ｱ窶堙??堙??堋ｷ窶堋ｩﾂ？窶佛?ﾅｽﾃｨ窶堙姑但ﾆ陳?椎?ﾆ谷ﾂ人ﾂ？ﾂ？
窶禿岩?忿窶堋ｭ窶堋ｳ窶堋｢ﾂ。窶愿ｺ窶怒ﾂ人窶堙坂?堙??堋ｱ窶堙個坂?倪?堙俄?堋｢窶堙??堙?ﾂ、窶佛?ﾅｽﾃｨ窶堋ｪ窶愿ｺ窶怒ﾂ人窶堋ｶ窶堙｡窶堙遺?堋ｩ窶堙≫?堋ｽ窶堙ｧﾂ『ﾅ?Oﾂ人ﾂ』窶堙?津??堙鯛?堙懌?堋ｷﾂ・ﾂ・ﾂ・ﾂ。ﾆ段ﾆ端ﾂ？窶堋ｱ窶堙個湘ｪﾂ坂?｡ﾂ、ﾅ?Oﾂ人窶堙遺?堙娯?堙債、ﾆ但ﾆ段ﾆ耽窶堙??堋ｷ窶堙ｦﾂ〜
窶堋ｱ窶堙姑湛ﾆ椎停?堙ｰﾂ「窶愿ｺ窶怒ﾅ津ｪ窶堋ｪ窶堙??堋ｫ窶堙遺?堋｢ﾂ人窶堙俄?堙債「窶堋｢窶堋ｽ窶堋ｾ窶堋ｫ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ」窶堙??堋｢窶堋､ﾅ陳ｾ窶杯窶堙固ｽg窶堋｢窶｢ﾃｻ窶堙ｰ窶堙??堋､ﾂ静?窶督ｾ窶堋ｷ窶堙ｪ窶堙寂?堋｢窶堋｢窶堙娯?堋ｩ窶堙按？ﾂ」窶堙?、ﾆ耽ﾆ辰ﾆ暖ﾆ停?ｹ窶堋ｵ窶堋ｽ窶堙ｧ窶堙ｭ窶堋ｩ窶堙ｩ窶堙ｱ窶堙??堋ｷ窶堋ｪﾂ・ﾂ・ﾂ・ﾂ。窶堙
ﾅｽ窶樞?堙債、ﾂ宗窶ｹﾂｳ窶堙可信窶堋ｶ窶堙ｩﾂ人窶堋ｶ窶堙｡窶堙遺?堋｢ﾂ（窶堙??堙?ﾂ、窶堙??堙ｱ窶堙??堙ｱ窶｢ﾂｧ窶ｹﾂｳ窶很窶堙俄?堙遺?堙≫?堙??堋｢窶堙ｩﾂ）窶堙娯?堙可、窶愿ｺ窶怒窶堙俄?堋｢窶堋ｽﾅｽﾅｾﾂ、窶堋｢窶堙や?堙?ﾂ食窶堙冷?堙ｩ窶楼窶堙可「窶堋｢窶堋ｽ窶堋ｾ窶堋ｫ窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ」窶堙?陳ｾ窶堙≫?堙??堋ｨ窶堋ｫ窶堙懌?堋ｵ窶堋ｽﾂ・ﾂ・ﾂ・ﾂ。窶堙｢窶堙≫?堙鞘?堙ｨﾂ、ﾂ宗窶ｹﾂｳ窶廬窶堙闇陳ｾ窶杯窶堋ｶ窶堙｡窶堋?窶堙懌?堙ｨ窶堙遺?堋｢窶堙??堋ｷ窶堙ｦ窶堙仰・ﾂ・ﾂ・ﾂ。ﾅ?F窶堋ｳ窶堙ｱ窶堙娯?凖岩?堙ｨ窶堙??堋ｷ窶堋ｯ窶堙ｪ窶堙?、窶儕窶堙俄?堋ｱ窶堋､ﾂ静?窶督ｾ窶堋ｵ窶堋ｽ窶堙ｧ窶堋｢窶堋｢窶堙?ｽv窶堋｢窶堙懌?堋ｷﾂ：ﾂ「ﾂ食窶堙冷?堙ｩ窶楼窶堙俄?堋｢窶堋､ﾅ陳ｾ窶杯窶堙??堋ｷﾂ」窶堋ｾ窶堋ｯ窶堙?。ﾂ・ﾂ・ﾂ・窶堙??堋､ﾂ？

 

[yukio_michael]

After looking at the original poster's profile, seeing that their nationality is that of 窶愿ｺ窶怒ﾂ人, is it as said, really apt, or even polite, to call others 'foreigner' while you're in their country...?

 

[strongvoicesforward]

After looking at the original poster's profile, seeing that their nationality is that of 窶愿ｺ窶怒ﾂ人, is it as said, really apt, or even polite, to call others 'foreigner' while you're in their country...? I totally missed this from the orignal post.

Excellent point!

I can`t believe I didn`t catch this. This has always been one of the things I have found ugly about Japanese -- that no matter where they are in the world, they do not think of themselves as foreignors. The whole world except for Japan is a foreign world and all people in other lands are foreignors regardless of where the Japanese person is commenting on people of different nationalities.

Good eye Yukio -- but some may say you are splitting hairs or "lawyerizing" the thread/issue. But, not me. You are dead on.

 

[yukio_michael]

Good eye Yukio -- but some may say you are splitting hairs or "lawyerizing" the thread/issue. But, not me. You are dead on.

To be honest I only noticed after gaijinian pointed it out... but it had an equal effect on me.

By the way, are you recently (back) in Japan, or did you just recently change your jref flag!? : )

 

[strongvoicesforward]

By the way, are you recently (back) in Japan, or did you just recently change your jref flag!? : )

Who me?

I`ve always been in Japan. When I first became a member I filled out the registration form real fast and for some reason I was just thinking nationality and not residence, so I had chose an American flag. After about a month when I started posting a few things in the Japanese Forum section, I think admin ran a trace on my IP and saw I was in Japan and then they changed it themselves -- which is good because that is what it should have been.

 

[yukio_michael]

Maybe my memory is just failing me... oh crap.

 

[euske]

Yes, I thought the use of the word "foreigner" was a bit questionable, but I didn't want to say "non-japanese speakers" because it looks lengthy, and I didn't know this is such a sensitive issue. Sorry. I'll try to be careful of using this word next time.

 

[Gaijinian]

Good deal 1234567123456789 (my post was too short...)