いただきます
いただきます
hepburn itadakimasu
"I humbly receive" (before eating)
Part of speech · expression
Pattern visualization
no decomposition available
Examples
- いただきます。Thanks for the meal (before eating).
- プレゼントをいただきました。I received a gift (humble).
Collocations
いただきます (itadakimasu, "I receive [this meal]")ごちそうさま (gochisousama, "feast was wonderful" — after meal)頂く / 戴く (itadaku, to humbly receive — verb)ご馳走 (gochisou, feast)召し上がる (meshiagaru, "to eat" — honorific)
Mnemonic
いただきます itadakimasu — polite present of the verb 頂く / 戴く (itadaku, to humbly receive). Literal etymology: "I lift [it] to the crown of my head" — from an old gesture of raising the received item above one's head to show gratitude. Locked in as the pre-meal greeting: "I receive this food (from the living things, cook, and nature)". The post-meal counterpart is ごちそうさま. A ceremonial heart-piece of Japanese food culture — the first phrase foreigners learn.
Quick check
Most accurate etymological reading of いただきます?