お疲れ様です
otsukaresama desu
In Japanese, the phrase for goodbye at work is お疲れ様です (otsukaresama desu).
お疲れ様です is a versatile phrase used to acknowledge a colleague's hard work. It is used as a greeting when arriving at work and also as a way to say goodbye when leaving the office or finishing a task. You can also use また明日 to say "See you tomorrow."
What does it mean word for word?
The o at the beginning is an honorific prefix that adds politeness to the noun tsukare, which means fatigue.
Which one should you use?
While お疲れ様です is used for ongoing or current states, お疲れ様でした (using the past tense deshita) is used specifically after a task or the workday is completely finished.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Dropping the desu to say お疲れ様 makes the phrase informal and it should only be used between close colleagues or from a superior to a subordinate.
How does it change in a sentence?
The o at the beginning of the phrase is an honorific prefix that adds politeness to the noun tsukare.
How do you pronounce it?
otsukaresama desu
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using ご苦労様です (gokurousama desu) toward a peer or a boss, as it is strictly used by a superior to a subordinate and can sound condescending.
Did you know?
- The phrase お疲れ様です is frequently used as a standard opening for business emails, serving the same purpose as 'Dear' or 'Hello' in English.
- The concept of tsukare (fatigue) in this phrase is viewed as a positive sign of contribution to the company rather than a negative state of exhaustion.
- In a digital context, such as a business chat like Slack, coworkers often use お疲れ様です as a way to initiate a message. It acts as a social buffer to soften the impact of a direct request or question.
Examples in context
- お疲れ様です。Otsukaresama desu.Good job today.
- 今日はもう帰ります。お疲れ様です。Kyou wa mou kaerimasu. Otsukaresama desu.I am leaving for the day. Good job.
Example conversation
Hiyori is leaving the office at the end of the day and greets Hinata.
- 陽葵 Himari陽太さん、お疲れ様です。Hinata-san, otsukaresama desu.Good job today, Hinata.
- 陽太 Yota陽葵さん、お疲れ様でした。Hiyori-san, otsukaresama deshita.Good job today, Hiyori.
- 陽葵 Himariまた明日。Mata ashita.See you tomorrow.
