ごちそうさま

• Reading: ごちそうさま
• Romaji: gochisousama
• Pronunciation: /ɡo.tɕi.soː.sa.ma/

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

1. ごちそうさま、美味しかった！ Thanks for the meal — that was delicious!
2. ごちそうさま、お会計お願いします。 Thanks for the meal — can I get the check, please?
3. あの二人のイチャイチャ見てごちそうさまって感じ。 Watching those two flirt is giving me major 'get a room' vibes.

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)
• ごちそうさまでした、ご馳走になりました (Thank you for the wonderful meal, thank you for treating me)

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)

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.