What does it mean word for word?
The phrase breaks down as follows: この (kono) means "this" and must be followed by a noun. お受け取りください (uketorikudasai) is a polite imperative form meaning "please receive" or "please accept".
Which one should you use?
While この贈り物をお受け取りください is a complete and formal way to offer a gift, you may encounter other variations. For example, これを受け取ってください simply means "Please receive/accept this," and adding どうぞ to the beginning of 受け取ってください makes the request more polite. For a more casual interaction, you might use the informal これ、受け取って to say "take this" or これ、もらって when offering a gift to someone you know well.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
この贈り物をお受け取りください is in a formal, polite register suitable for giving a gift to a superior or a client. For more general formal situations, you can use お受け取りください which utilizes the honorific prefix お to mean "please receive/accept this." In contrast, the phrases これ、受け取って and これ、もらって are informal.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word この (kono) is a demonstrative that must always be followed by a noun.
How do you pronounce it?
kono okurimono o uketorikudasai
When do people say it?
When presenting a gift in Japan, it is common to use the idiomatic expression これ、つまらないものですが, which translates to "This is a trifling thing, but…"
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, the act of giving often requires a ritual of 'modest refusal', where the receiver may politely decline the gift once or twice before finally accepting it.
- Giving a gift in Japan often triggers the concept of お返し (okaeshi). This is a social expectation where the receiver provides a return gift, typically valued at about half the price of the original gift.
- Japanese uses specific words for gifts based on the occasion, such as お中元 (ochugen) for summer and お歳暮 (oseibo) for year-end, which changes the context of how the phrase is delivered.
Examples in context
- これを受け取ってください。本当にお疲れ様です。Please accept this. Thank you so much for your hard work.
- 心ばかりの品ですが、この贈り物をお受け取りください。Kokoro bakari no shina desu ga, kono okurimono o ouketori kudasai.It is just a small token, but please accept this gift.
- 感謝の気持ちとして、この贈り物をお受け取りください。Kansha no kimochi to shite, kono okurimono o ouketori kudasai.As a token of my gratitude, please accept this gift.
Example conversation
Misaki gives a housewarming present to Yota.
- 美咲 Misaki陽太さん、引っ越しのお祝いに、この贈り物をお受け取りください。Yota-san, hikkoshi no oiwai ni, kono okurimono o uketori kudasai.Yota, please accept this gift to celebrate your move.
- 陽太 Yotaえっ、いいんですか？ありがとうございます！E', ii n desu ka? Arigatou gozaimasu!Oh, are you sure? Thank you very much!
- 美咲 Misakiいいえ、気にしないでください。Iie, ki ni shinaide kudasai.No, please don't think twice about it.
- 陽太 Yota大切に使わせていただきますね。Taisetsu ni tsukawasete itadakimasu ne.I will cherish it.
