How to Say ‘I am waiting respectfully / We look forward to seeing you’ in Japanese
お待ちしております
o machi shi te ori masu
[oh ma-chee shee teh oh-ree mahs]
💬 Usage Tip: [お待ちしております] is a very polite service-style way to say [待っています]. You can reuse [〜しております] to make many actions sound more formal, like [お待ちしております] or [承っております].
🇯🇵 In Japan: In restaurants, hotels, and similar service settings, this is a standard courteous closing. It often means "we look forward to welcoming you," not literally that someone is already sitting there waiting.
Phrase Breakdown
お
o
[oh]
honorific prefix
A polite prefix used to make the expression more respectful in customer service language.
ご来店をお待ちしておりますの「お」は丁寧な言い方です。
In the phrase 'go-raiten o omachi shite orimasu,' 'お' is a polite way of speaking.
待ち
machi
[ma-chee]
waiting
Comes from 待つ and means waiting; in reservations it refers to waiting for the guest to arrive.
スタッフはお待ちしておりますと言ってお客様の到着を待ちます。
Staff say 'omachi shite orimasu' and wait for the customer's arrival.
し
shi
[shee]
do / doing
Part of しています; it links the noun-like form to indicate performing the action.
お待ちしておりますの「し」は動作を表す部分です。
The 'し' in 'omachi shite orimasu' is the part that expresses the action.
て
te
[teh]
and / te-form
The te-form connector in して, used to connect the action to the following polite auxiliary.
お待ちしておりますの「て」は文をつなぐ形です。
The 'て' in 'omachi shite orimasu' is the form that connects the phrase.
おり
ori
[oh-ree]
be humbly
A humble form of いる used in service language to sound respectful and formal.
店ではお待ちしておりますの「おり」を使って丁寧に話します。
At restaurants, they use the 'ori' in 'omachi shite orimasu' to speak politely.
ます
masu
[mahs]
polite ending
The polite non-past ending that completes the formal expression.
お待ちしておりますの「ます」で丁寧な文になります。
The 'ます' in 'omachi shite orimasu' makes it a polite sentence.
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