お先

• 読み: おさき
• ローマ字: osaki
• 漢字の分解: 先 (ahead/first) — お is an honorific prefix. Literally 'ahead' → I'm going ahead of you
• 発音: /o.sa.ki/

意味

A casual way to say 'I'm heading out first' when leaving before others, shortened from お先に失礼します.

お先 is the truncated casual version of the formal お先に失礼します. It is used when leaving work, a gathering, or any shared activity before others. Among close colleagues and friends, dropping the rest of the phrase is perfectly natural and signals friendly familiarity rather than rudeness.

例文

1. じゃ、お先〜！また明日。
2. 今日は用事あるからお先するね。
3. お先！おつかれ〜。

使い方ガイド

場面: workplace peers, friends, casual groups

トーン: casual, friendly

正しい言い方

• お先！今日もおつかれ！ (I'm heading out! Good work today!)
• ちょっと早いけどお先するね (It's a bit early but I'm heading out first)

避ける言い方

• 上司より先に帰る場合は「お先に失礼します」とフルで言う (When leaving before your boss, say the full お先に失礼します)

よくある間違い

• Using お先 alone with superiors or in formal situations — the full phrase お先に失礼します is needed
• Forgetting that leaving before others in Japan carries social weight — even the casual form acknowledges this

起源と歴史

Shortened from お先に失礼します (osaki ni shitsurei shimasu, 'excuse me for leaving first'). The abbreviation became standard casual speech in workplace and social settings.

文化的背景

時代: Longstanding, casual abbreviation common since 2000s+

世代: All working ages

社会的背景: Workplace casual

地域メモ: Used nationwide. The full form お先に失礼します is one of the most important workplace phrases to master.