Polite to Colleague
Cultural · Gift
つまらないものですが、出張のお土産です。皆さんでどうぞ。 — It's nothing special, but here's a souvenir from my business trip. Please share it with everyone. (Cultural · Gift, Polite to Colleague, JLPT N4)
You
つまらないものですが、出張のお土産です。皆さんでどうぞ。
つまらないものですが、しゅっちょうのおみやげです。みなさんでどうぞ。
It's nothing special, but here's a souvenir from my business trip. Please share it with everyone.
Romaji: Tsumaranai mono desu ga, shucchou no omiyage desu. Minasan de douzo. / Reply Romaji: Wa, arigatou gozaimasu! Itadakimasu.
Reply
わあ、ありがとうございます！いただきます。
わあ、ありがとうございます！いただきます。
Wow, thank you so much! I'll have one.
Gesture & etiquette
Present the gift with both hands, not one. Make slight eye contact then look down modestly. A small bow (15 degrees) when handing it over. Do not hype up the gift's quality — humility is the point.
Tsumaranai mono desu ga' (literally 'it's a boring thing, but...') is traditional Japanese humility — you downplay the gift's value to avoid burdening the recipient. Modern alternatives like 'sasayaka na mono desu ga' (a modest thing) are also common. Bringing back 'omiyage' for the office after any trip is a near-mandatory workplace courtesy in Japan.