What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the honorific prefix お, the verb hairu (to enter) in its polite stem form and kudasai (please give/do for me), literally meaning "please enter".
Which one should you use?
While お入りください is very formal, you may also hear 入ってください, which is a standard polite way to say "please enter". For a very casual situation with friends or subordinates, the imperative form 入れ can be used. If you are inviting guests specifically into a home or an office, you might use どうぞお上がりください. In a retail setting, shop staff often use いらっしゃいませ to greet and invite customers inside.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
お入りください is a formal and respectful way to invite someone inside. This is more formal than the standard polite version 入ってください and much more formal than the casual 入れ.
How do you pronounce it?
ohairikudasai
When do people say it?
In Japan, entering someone's house or room with shoes on is considered impolite.
Did you know?
- When you use the more welcoming phrase どうぞお上がりください, you are literally inviting someone to 'go up' into the room. This reflects the traditional Japanese architecture where the living space is raised on a platform above the floor.
- The word kudasai in お入りください comes from the verb 'to give'. You are essentially asking the guest to 'give' you the favor of entering.
- While いらっしゃいませ is used to invite customers in, it is derived from the honorific verb いらっしゃる, which means 'to exist' or 'to go' in a highly respectful way.
Examples in context
- 中にお入りください。Please come in.This sentence shows how to use お入りください to say "Please come in.".Tatoeba #12316463 by small_snow, translation #435705 by CK
- さあどうぞお入りください。Do come in!This sentence shows how to use お入りください to say "Do come in!"Tatoeba #216899 by wakatyann630, translation #54203 by CN
- とにかくまあ、お入りください。Anyway, please come in.Tatoeba #200461 by wakatyann630, translation #37662 by Mediabat
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui invites Hinata into her office.
- 結衣 Yuiどうぞ、お入りください。Douzo, ohairi kudasai.Please, come in.
- 陽太 Yota失礼します。Shitsurei shimasu.Excuse me.
- 結衣 Yui陽太さん、お疲れ様です。Hinata-san, otsukaresama desu.Good job today, Hinata.
- 陽太 Yotaありがとうございます。Arigatou gozaimasu.Thank you very much.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
