Polite to Stranger
Cultural · Communication
それでは、お言葉に甘えて、頂戴いたします。 — Then, taking you up on your kind offer, I'll gratefully accept. (Cultural · Communication, Polite to Stranger, JLPT N3)
You
それでは、お言葉に甘えて、頂戴いたします。
それでは、おことばにあまえて、ちょうだいいたします。
Then, taking you up on your kind offer, I'll gratefully accept.
Romaji: Sore dewa, okotoba ni amaete, choudai itashimasu. / Reply Romaji: Douzo douzo. Enryo nasaranaide.
Reply
どうぞどうぞ。遠慮なさらないで。
どうぞどうぞ。えんりょなさらないで。
Please, please. Don't hold back.
Gesture & etiquette
Slight bow (20 degrees) when accepting. Soft, genuinely grateful expression — not over-effusive. Receive the item or invitation with both hands if physical. A second small bow afterward as thanks. Avoid prolonged 'arigatou gozaimasu' repetitions — one heartfelt thanks is enough.
Okotoba ni amaete' (literally 'leaning on your kind words') is the standard phrase when finally accepting something after initially declining out of politeness. Japanese social ritual often involves a back-and-forth: the offer is made, you decline once or twice ('iie, kekkou desu'), they insist, and only then do you accept with 'okotoba ni amaete.' Accepting too quickly can feel greedy; declining forever blocks the gift relationship.