What does it mean word for word?
The phrase お体に気をつけてください literally translates to "please be careful with your body."
Which one should you use?
While お体に気をつけてください is a general well-wish for health, the phrase お大事に is used specifically for someone who is currently ill or injured to mean "get well soon."
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form お体に気をつけてください is a polite expression suitable for use with superiors, elders or people you are not close to. For a very formal way to say "Please take care of your health," you can use お体を大事にしてください, or use ご自愛ください to mean "Please take good care of yourself." In informal situations, such as with friends or family, you can use 元気でね to mean "Take care" or "Stay well," or 体に気をつけて to mean "Take care of yourself" or "Be mindful of your health."
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Kansai dialect, the polite phrase 元気でおられやす can be used to express "Please take care of yourself."
How does it change in a sentence?
You can make the phrase informal by dropping the honorific お and the polite ください, resulting in 体に気をつけて.
How do you pronounce it?
okarada ni ki o tsukete kudasai
Did you know?
- In Japanese culture, wishing someone to 'take care' during seasonal changes is a social ritual used to acknowledge the specific hardships of the weather, such as the humidity of August or the chill of December.
- The extremely formal version ご自愛ください uses the character 愛, which means 'love', to express the idea of 'loving and caring for oneself'.
- The word 気 in the phrase 気をつけて is the same character used in 'spirit' or 'energy', meaning that taking care of oneself is viewed as managing one's internal vital energy.
Examples in context
- どうかお体に気をつけてください。Please take care of yourself.Tatoeba #201683 by tommy__san, translation #38550 by CK
- お体を大事にしてください、田中さんPlease take care of yourself, Mr./Ms. Tanaka
- 寒いので、お体に気をつけてください。Samui node, o-karada ni ki o tsukete kudasai.It is cold, so please take care of yourself.
- お体に気をつけてくださいね。O-karada ni ki o tsukete kudasai ne.Please take care of yourself, okay?
Example conversation
Ren is leaving for a long business trip, and Himari is seeing him off at the station.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮さん、お元気で。Ren-san, o-genki de.Ren, take care.
- 蓮 Renありがとう、陽葵さんもね。Arigatou, Himari-san mo ne.Thank you, you too, Himari.
- 陽葵 Himariお体に気をつけてください。O-karada ni ki o tsukete kudasai.Please take care of yourself.
- 蓮 Renはい、気をつけます。Hai, ki o tsukemasu.Yes, I will.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
