Polite to Host
Cultural · Dining
本日はお招きいただきありがとうございます。お邪魔します。こちら、よかったらどうぞ。 — Thank you so much for inviting me today. Please excuse my intrusion. Here — please accept this. (Cultural · Dining, Polite to Host, JLPT N3)
You
本日はお招きいただきありがとうございます。お邪魔します。こちら、よかったらどうぞ。
ほんじつはおまねきいただきありがとうございます。おじゃまします。こちら、よかったらどうぞ。
Thank you so much for inviting me today. Please excuse my intrusion. Here — please accept this.
Romaji: Honjitsu wa omanekinitadaki arigatou gozaimasu. Ojama shimasu. Kochira, yokattara douzo. / Reply Romaji: Waza waza arigatou gozaimasu. Douzo, oagari kudasai.
Reply
わざわざありがとうございます。どうぞ、お上がりください。
わざわざありがとうございます。どうぞ、おあがりください。
Thank you so much for bringing this. Please come in.
Gesture & etiquette
Stand at the genkan (entryway) and deliver the greeting before stepping inside — being invited to 'agatte kudasai' (come up/inside) is the host's welcome. Remove shoes promptly and place them neatly to the side. Hand the gift with both hands, bowing slightly. Follow the host's lead completely for seating, timing of the meal, and any rituals the household observes.
This three-part arrival sequence — thanking the host for the invitation, saying 'ojama shimasu' (excuse my intrusion), and presenting a gift — is the complete and expected ritual for arriving at a Japanese home as a dinner guest. Present the gift with both hands and a bow immediately after stepping inside at the entryway (genkan). Remove your shoes at the genkan and align them neatly facing outward.