How to Say ‘Welcome.’ in Japanese
いらっしゃいませ。
irasshai mase
[ee-rah-shy mah-seh]
💬 Usage Tip: [いらっしゃいませ] is the standard store or restaurant welcome. It is very polite and fixed, so staff say it a lot.
🇯🇵 In Japan: In Japan, staff often call out [いらっしゃいませ] loudly and cheerfully when you enter. Customers usually do not need to reply.
Phrase Breakdown
いらっしゃい
irasshai
[ee-rah-shy]
welcome
A polite shop or restaurant greeting said to customers when they enter.
店に入ると、店員がいらっしゃいと言いました。
When I entered the shop, the staff said, “Welcome.”
ませ
mase
[mah-seh]
polite imperative ending
A very polite ending added to respectful verbs in set expressions like greetings.
店員は笑顔でませを使う形のあいさつをしました。
The staff member used a greeting form with the polite ending in a smile.
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