私の国へようこそ
Watashi no kuni e yōkoso
The English phrase "welcome to my country" is translated into Japanese as 私の国へようこそ (Watashi no kuni e yōkoso).
This phrase is used as a greeting to welcome someone who has just arrived in the speaker's home country.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 私の国へようこそ is composed of watashi no (my), kuni (country), e (to/towards) and yōkoso (welcome).
Which one should you use?
If you want to say a simple "Welcome!" you can use Yōkoso!
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For much more formal and grand contexts, often used in official or ceremonial contexts, you can replace watashi no with waga to say 我が国へようこそ.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase 私の国へようこそ, the particle e (へ) indicates the direction of the welcome, functioning like the English word "to".
How do you pronounce it?
Watashi no kuni e yōkoso
Did you know?
- While Yōkoso is a warm welcome, if you are welcoming a customer into a shop, you should never use it. Instead, staff will use the specific phrase Irasshaimase to signify a commercial welcome.
- The word kuni (country) is also used in Japanese to refer to one's hometown or ancestral province, even if the person is currently within the borders of the same nation.
- In Japanese, the direction particle e (へ) is written with a character that is pronounced 'he', but when used as a particle, it is always pronounced 'e'.
Examples in context
- 私の国へようこそ。Watashi no kuni e yōkoso.Welcome to my country.
Example conversation
Hiroto meets Yui at the airport after her long flight.
- 大翔 Hiroto結衣さん、やっと会えましたね！Yui-san, yatto aemashita ne!Yui, we finally met!
- 結衣 Yuiありがとうございます。とても楽しみです。Arigato gozaimasu. Totemo tanoshimi desu.Thank you. I am really looking forward to it.
- 大翔 Hiroto私の国へようこそ。案内しますね。Watashi no kuni e youkoso. Annai shimasu ne.Welcome to my country. I will show you around.
- 結衣 Yuiよろしくお願いします。Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.I'm in your care.
