What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of o-ai (polite meeting), dekite (being able to do/having happened) and ureshii desu (am happy).
Which one should you use?
While お会いできて嬉しいです is formal, you may encounter the shorter form 会えて嬉しい, which is used with friends or people of lower social status. If you are seeing someone after a long period of time, you might instead use お久しぶりですね to express pleasure at seeing someone you haven't seen for some time.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
お会いできて嬉しいです is polite and suitable for business or meeting someone for the first time in a formal setting. In contrast, 久しぶり！ is an informal way to say "Long time, no see!"
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase お会いできて嬉しいです, the te form in dekite functions as a conjunction, linking the act of meeting to the feeling of happiness.
How do you pronounce it?
oaidekite ureshii desu
Did you know?
- In highly formal Japanese, you can say お目にかかれて光栄です (o me ni kakarete kouei desu), which literally means 'It is an honor to lay eyes upon you'.
- The prefix お (o) in お会い is known as a 'beautifier' and is used to elevate the dignity of the action of meeting the other person.
- The depth of your bow while saying these phrases is not just a gesture, but a precise indicator of the level of respect you intend to show.
Examples in context
- 久しぶり！元気だった？Long time, no see! How have you been?
- お会いできて嬉しいです。Oai dekite ureshii desu.I am happy to see you.
- 今日はお会いできて嬉しいです。Kyou wa oai dekite ureshii desu.I am happy to see you today.
- またお会いできて嬉しいです。Mata oai dekite ureshii desu.I am happy to see you again.
Example conversation
Ren and Himari meet at a networking event.
- 蓮 Ren陽葵さん、お会いできて嬉しいです。Himari-san, oai dekite ureshii desu.Himari, I am happy to see you.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮さん、こちらこそお会いできて嬉しいです。Ren-san, kochira koso oai dekite ureshii desu.Ren, I am also happy to see you.
- 蓮 Renお仕事の調子はどうですか？Oshigoto no choushi wa dou desu ka?How is your work going?
- 陽葵 Himariとても順調ですよ。Totemo junjou desu yo.It is going very well.
