ごちそうさま

Vocabulary Word Japanese ★★★★★ Very Common Casual
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Meaning: Thanks for the meal — said after eating to express gratitude.

多谢款待——吃完饭后表达感谢时说的话。
Gracias por la comida — se dice después de comer para expresar gratitud.
잘 먹었습니다 — 식사 후 감사의 마음을 담아 하는 인사.

The counterpart to いただきます, ごちそうさま is said after finishing a meal. The full polite form is ごちそうさまでした. It expresses gratitude to the cook, the host, and anyone involved in preparing the food. In restaurants, it serves as both a thank-you and a signal that you are finished. Slang usage extends it to mean 'I've had enough' of something (like witnessing a couple flirting).

作为「いただきます」的对应用语,ごちそうさま在吃完饭后说。完整的礼貌形式是「ごちそうさまでした」。它向做饭的人、招待者以及所有参与准备食物的人表达感谢。在餐厅里,它既是感谢也是示意吃完了的信号。俚语用法中还可以延伸为'够了够了'的意思(比如看到情侣秀恩爱时)。
La contrapartida de いただきます: ごちそうさま se dice después de terminar de comer. La forma educada completa es ごちそうさまでした. Expresa gratitud al cocinero, al anfitrión y a todos los que participaron en la preparación. En los restaurantes, funciona tanto como agradecimiento como señal de que has terminado. En el argot, su uso se extiende a significar 'ya he tenido bastante' de algo (como presenciar a una pareja coqueteando).
いただきます의 짝으로, 식사를 마친 후에 하는 인사이다. 정중한 전체 형태는 ごちそうさまでした이다. 요리한 사람, 대접한 사람, 음식 준비에 관여한 모든 사람에게 감사를 표한다. 식당에서는 감사 인사이자 식사를 마쳤다는 신호로 기능한다. 속어적으로는 (커플이 애정행각을 하는 걸 봤을 때 등) '이제 됐다/배부르다'라는 뜻으로 쓰이기도 한다.

Examples

  1. ごちそうさま、美味しかった!
    ごちそうさま,好好吃!
    Gracias por la comida, ¡estaba riquísimo!
    ごちそうさま, 맛있었어!
  2. ごちそうさま、お会計お願いします。
    ごちそうさま,麻烦结账。
    Gracias por la comida, la cuenta, por favor.
    ごちそうさま, 계산 부탁합니다.
  3. あの二人のイチャイチャ見てごちそうさまって感じ。
    看那两个人腻腻歪歪的,真是ごちそうさま的感觉。
    Ver a esa pareja tan acaramelada ha sido un 'gracias por la comida' total.
    저 두 사람 알콩달콩하는 거 보고 ごちそうさまって感じ(나 배불러).

Pronunciation

/ɡo.tɕi.soː.sa.ma/

Usage Guide

Context: after meals, restaurants, when someone treats you

Tone: grateful, satisfied

✓ Do Say

  • ごちそうさま!すごく美味しかった (Thank you for the meal! It was really delicious)
    ごちそうさま!すごく美味しかった(多谢款待!非常好吃)
    ¡Gracias por la comida! Estaba buenísimo (Thank you for the meal! It was really delicious)
    ごちそうさま!すごく美味しかった (잘 먹었습니다! 정말 맛있었어요)
  • ごちそうさまでした、ご馳走になりました (Thank you for the wonderful meal, thank you for treating me)
    ごちそうさまでした、ご馳走になりました(感谢款待,承蒙请客了)
    Gracias por la comida, ha sido todo un festín (Thank you for the wonderful meal, thank you for treating me)
    ごちそうさまでした、ご馳走になりました (잘 먹었습니다, 대접해 주셔서 감사합니다)

✗ Don't Say

  • 自分で作って一人で食べた時に大げさに「ごちそうさまでした」は少し変 (Saying a very formal ごちそうさまでした when you cooked and ate alone is a bit odd — ごちそうさま is fine)
    自己做饭自己一个人吃的时候郑重地说「ごちそうさまでした」有点奇怪——说「ごちそうさま」就好
    Decir un ごちそうさまでした muy formal cuando has cocinado y comido solo es un poco raro — con ごちそうさま basta
    혼자 만들어서 혼자 먹고 나서 거창하게 「ごちそうさまでした」라고 하면 약간 어색하다 — ごちそうさま 정도면 충분하다

Common Mistakes

Origin & History

From ご馳走 (gochisou, feast/treat), where 馳走 originally meant 'running around' to gather ingredients. The さま is an honorific. Literally 'it was a great feast' → thank you for the meal.

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional, deeply rooted custom

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Regional notes: Used across all of Japan. Paired with いただきます, these two phrases bookend every meal and are fundamental to Japanese dining culture.

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