いってきます

• 読み: いってきます
• ローマ字: itte kimasu
• 発音: /it.te.ki.ma.sɯ/

意味

A set phrase meaning 'I'm heading out' or 'I'll go and come back,' said when leaving home.

いってきます is one of Japan's most deeply ingrained daily rituals. Literally meaning 'I will go and come back,' it is said by anyone leaving the house to those staying behind. It implies a promise to return safely and is always answered with いってらっしゃい. The exchange is so automatic that skipping it feels unsettling to most Japanese people. It has expanded to online culture where people post it when leaving a chat or starting an outing.

例文

1. いってきます！今日は遅くなるかも。
2. じゃあいってきます、お昼までには戻るね。
3. いってきまーす、忘れ物ないよね？

使い方ガイド

場面: home, family, shared living spaces, online (leaving chat)

トーン: warm, ritualistic

正しい言い方

• いってきます、夕飯までに帰るよ (I'm heading out, I'll be back by dinner)
• いってきます！行ってくるね〜 (I'm off! See you later~)

避ける言い方

• 職場で退社する時に「いってきます」は不自然 — 「お先に失礼します」を使う (Don't say いってきます when leaving the office — use お先に失礼します)

よくある間違い

• Forgetting to say いってきます when leaving home — it is a strong social expectation in Japan
• Using it when leaving work — it is specifically a home/personal departure phrase

起源と歴史

From 行って (going) + きます (will come back), a compound verb expressing departure with the intention to return. One of the oldest daily ritual phrases in Japanese household culture.

文化的背景

時代: Traditional, centuries-old daily ritual

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

地域メモ: Used in every household across Japan. One of the first phrases Japanese children learn. The call-and-response with いってらっしゃい is a defining feature of Japanese home life.