We pic up and share some useful Japanese (Nihongo) phrases which you can use in your daily life in Japan.

Please imagine your daily situation at meal time. What will you do before eating? Some of you will pray before eating and others will just start eating.

In Japan, people say a phrase before eating.

It is ‘いただきます（itadakimasu）’

This is polite form of the word ‘いただく（itadaku）’ and means ‘take’ or ‘be given’. Japanese people render their thanks to provider of the dish.

Do you wonder if the phrase has the religious meaning? In the modern days, not. Just give their thanks to a cook. (please read following ’NOTE’ to know more.)

You also can say ‘いただきます（itadakimasu）’ when you start to eat.

NOTE : Japanese and their faith

When you ask Japanese people about their religion, they would not answer. Actually, most of modern Japanese have no particular religion. But it’s not the mean that they have no faith. For instance, they go to temple or shrine at start of years to wish their yearly happiness. Anyway, please note that religion is a delicate topic for Japanese. Even between friends, they do not talk about it.

Use the Japanese phrase and enjoy your daily life in Japan.

See you soon.