Polite to Host
Cultural · Communication
You
お気遣いありがとうございます。本当に結構ですので、お気になさらないでください。
おきづかいありがとうございます。ほんとうにけっこうですので、おきになさらないでください。
Thank you for your consideration. I am truly fine, so please do not worry on my behalf.
Romaji: O-kidzukai arigato gozaimasu. Honto ni kekko desu no de, o-ki ni nasaranaide kudasai. / Reply Romaji: Sou desu ka, jaa...
Reply
そうですか、じゃあ…
そうですか、じゃあ…
Is that so, well then...
Gesture & etiquette
Bow slightly while refusing with a warm, genuinely appreciative expression. Make eye contact to show sincerity — avoiding eye contact while declining can seem evasive. Keep your body language open and relaxed, not stiff, to soften the refusal.
Declining hospitality politely requires combining appreciation ('arigato gozaimasu') with a firm but warm refusal ('kekko desu'). Declining only once often fails in Japanese social settings — the host may interpret it as polite modesty and offer again. A second calm decline with 'honto ni' (truly) signals genuine preference, not just etiquette.