What does itadakimasu mean?

Literally, I humbly receive. It is said before eating to thank the people who made, served or paid for the meal, and the food itself. English has no exact match; let's eat is the closest in use.

What do you say after eating in Japanese?

ごちそうさまでした (gochisōsama deshita), or ごちそうさま with family and friends. It thanks the cook or the host, and in a restaurant you can say it to the staff as you leave.

Do you say itadakimasu when eating alone?

Many people do, quietly, out of habit. It thanks the food as much as the people, so it makes sense alone too.

How do you reply to gochisōsama deshita?

The cook or host says お粗末さまでした (osomatsusama deshita), it was nothing special, or simply いえいえ.

Itadakimasu meaning, and gochisōsama deshita. Naraio

Itadakimasu (いただきます) is what you say in Japanese before you eat: a humble I receive this, a thank you to everyone and everything that brought the food to the table. After the meal you say ごちそうさまでした (gochisōsama deshita), thank you for the meal.

いただきます

Romaji: itadakimasu
Meaning: said before eating

Polite and casual

Form	Who and when
いただきますitadakimasuEveryone	Before eating or drinking, alone or with others.
ごちそうさまでしたgochisōsama deshitaPolite	After the meal: to the cook, the host, whoever paid, the restaurant staff as you leave.
ごちそうさまgochisōsamaCasual	After the meal, with family and friends.
お粗末さまでしたosomatsusama deshitaPolite	The cook's or host's modest reply: it was nothing special.

When to use it

Say いただきます just before the first bite, often with your hands together and a small nod. Families say it together at the table, and schoolchildren say it in chorus before lunch. Whoever cooked may say どうぞ召し上がれ (dōzo meshiagare), please enjoy.

When someone treats you, いただきます also thanks them before you eat, and ごちそうさまでした thanks them after. As a verb, いただく is the humble receive (giving and receiving): in a shop, これ、いただきます can mean I'll take this one.

When not to

Do not say ごちそうさまでした while you are still eating: it means the meal is over.

いただきます is about your own meal, not a wish for others: to invite people to eat, say どうぞ (dōzo), please, go ahead.

Examples

いただきます！
Romaji: itadakimasu!
Let's eat! (I humbly receive.)
ごちそうさまでした。おいしかったです。
Romaji: gochisōsama deshita. oishikatta desu.
Thank you for the meal. It was delicious.
遠慮なくいただきます。
Reading: えんりょなくいただきます。
Romaji: enryo naku itadakimasu.
Then I'll help myself, thank you.
お粗末さまでした。
Reading: おそまつさまでした。
Romaji: osomatsusama deshita.
It was nothing special. (The host's reply.)

bunka · culture

is written , from , the top of the head: people once raised a gift above their head to receive it. The thanks goes to the cook, to the farmers, and to the plants and animals that became the meal. In a restaurant, a to the staff as you leave is normal and welcome.

Common mistakes

Saying いただきます after the meal. It comes before; ごちそうさまでした comes after.
Treating it as bon appétit. Bon appétit is said to others; いただきます is said by the one who eats, about their own meal.
Forgetting both when you eat at someone's home. They are a small thanks to the cook, and people notice.

Say it out loud, with feedback

Knowing a phrase is not the same as saying it. In Naraio you practice phrases like these in short role plays with Hana, a tutor who listens, answers in natural Japanese and scores your pronunciation, and spaced reviews bring them back before they fade.

Itadakimasu: what it means and when to say it