ごちそうさま
Meaning: Thanks for the meal — said after eating to express gratitude.
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).
Examples
- 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!
- 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.
- 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 basta혼자 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
- Forgetting to say ごちそうさま after a meal, especially when someone else cooked or treated you
- Not knowing the slang usage — ごちそうさま can sarcastically mean 'I've had enough' when seeing something overly sweet or romantic
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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