東京へようこそ
Tōkyō e yōkoso
東京へようこそ (Tōkyō e yōkoso) is the Japanese phrase for "welcome to Tokyo".
東京へようこそ is a standard, polite way to welcome someone to the city. It is commonly seen on signage at airports or train stations. Note that if you are welcoming a customer into a shop, the phrase いらっしゃいませ is used instead.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of 東京 (Tokyo) and the particle へ (pronounced 'e'), which indicates the direction or destination of the welcome, followed by ようこそ (welcome).
Which one should you use?
While 東京へようこそ is the standard form, you may also encounter ようこそ東京へ, which also means "Welcome to Tokyo".
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle へ (pronounced 'e') is used to indicate the destination of the welcome.
How do you pronounce it?
Tōkyō e yōkoso
Did you know?
- The name 東京 literally means 'Eastern Capital'. It was renamed from 'Edo' to 'Tokyo' in 1868 when the Emperor moved his residence there.
- In Japanese, the greeting ようこそ is rarely used as a response to a 'thank you', unlike the English 'you are welcome'.
- The word ようこそ is actually an adverbial form of the classical Japanese word よう meaning 'well' or 'good', combined with a particle, effectively welcoming someone to a place 'well' or 'properly'.
Examples in context
- 東京へようこそ！Tōkyō e yōkoso!Welcome to Tokyo!
- 日本、そして東京へようこそ。Nihon, soshite Tōkyō e yōkoso.Welcome to Japan, and to Tokyo.
- 久しぶり！東京へようこそ。Hisashiburi! Tōkyō e yōkoso.Long time no see! Welcome to Tokyo.
Example conversation
陽葵 meets 陽太 at the airport after his long flight.
- 陽葵 Himari陽太、やっと着いたね。東京へようこそ！Yōta, yatto tsuita ne. Tōkyō e yōkoso!Yota, you finally arrived. Welcome to Tokyo!
- 陽太 Yotaありがとう、陽葵。本当に楽しみだよ。Arigatō, Himari. Hontō ni tanoshimi da yo.Thank you, Himari. I'm really looking forward to it.
- 陽葵 Himari荷物は重くない？Nimotsu wa omokunai?Is your luggage heavy?
- 陽太 Yota大丈夫、全然平気だよ。Daijōbu, zenzen heiki da yo.It's fine, I'm totally okay.
