お気をつけて
o ki o tsukete
Travel safe in Japanese is お気をつけて (o ki o tsukete).
お気をつけて is said to someone who is leaving or setting out on a trip. It literally asks the person to take care, so it works the way travel safe or take care does in English.
What does it mean word for word?
お is a polite prefix and 気をつけて means take care or pay attention.
How do you pronounce it?
It is pronounced o ki o tsukete.
When do people say it?
You will hear お気をつけて when you leave a home, a shop or a hotel and friends say it to each other before a journey. A simple thank you is the usual reply.
Did you know?
- The word 気 (ki) refers to a vital life force or energy in East Asian philosophy, meaning the phrase literally asks the person to 'handle their life energy' with care.
- While お気をつけて is used for those leaving, people staying behind often say いってらっしゃい (itterasshai), which translates to 'go and come back'.
- While it is a kind wish, if said with a sharp, sudden tone, it can sound like a warning to 'watch out' for immediate physical danger.
Examples in context
- お気をつけて、行ってらっしゃい。Okiwotsukete, itterasshai.Take care, have a good trip.
- 道中、お気をつけて。Dōchū, okiwotsukete.Travel safe on your journey.
- 帰りもお気をつけてください。Kaeri mo okiwotsukete kudasai.Please be safe on your way back, too.
Example conversation
陽葵 is leaving for a long train trip and 陽太 sees her off at the station.
- 陽太 Yota陽葵さん、お気をつけて。Himari-san, okiwotsukete.Himari, travel safe.
- 陽葵 Himariありがとう、陽太くん。Arigatō, Yōta-kun.Thank you, Yota.
- 陽太 Yotaまた連絡してね。Mata renraku shite ne.Contact me again later.
- 陽葵 Himariうん、分かったわ。Un, wakatta wa.Yeah, I will.
