お持ち帰り

• Reading: おもちかえり
• Romaji: omochikaeri
• Kanji breakdown: お (honorific prefix) + 持ち (holding) + 帰り (returning) → literally 'takeaway,' euphemism for taking someone home
• Pronunciation: /o.mo.tɕi.ka.e.ɾi/

Meaning

Taking someone home — a euphemism for bringing someone back to your place for a one-night hookup, often after meeting at a bar or club.

Literally meaning 'takeaway' (as in food), お持ち帰り is a widely understood euphemism for taking someone home from a bar, club, or social event for sexual purposes. The food metaphor adds a layer of humor to an otherwise direct topic. It's used both descriptively and as a goal ('I want to take someone home tonight'). The passive form お持ち帰りされる is also common.

Examples

1. 昨日クラブで友達がお持ち帰りされてた。 My friend got taken home by someone at the club last night.
2. お持ち帰り狙いの人って見たらわかるよね。 You can totally tell who's there trying to take someone home, right?
3. 酔った勢いでお持ち帰りはやめたほうがいい。 You shouldn't take someone home just because you're drunk and caught up in the moment.

Usage Guide

Context: close friends, nightlife, gossip

Tone: suggestive, humorous

Do Say

• お持ち帰りされそうになったけど断った。 (Someone tried to take me home but I turned them down.)
• あの二人お持ち帰りだったらしいよ。 (Those two apparently went home together.)

Don't Say

• 本人に向かって「お持ち帰りされたの？」はデリカシーがない (Asking someone to their face 'did you get taken home?' is extremely tactless)

Common Mistakes

• Using お持ち帰り in mixed or unfamiliar company — it's a sexual euphemism that should only be used among close friends

Origin & History

From the literal meaning of お持ち帰り (takeaway food/takeout). Adopted as a euphemism for taking someone home from nightlife. Has been used in this double meaning for decades, with increased visibility in youth slang from the 2000s.

Cultural Context

Era: Long-standing euphemism, prominent in youth culture from 2000s

Generation: 20s-30s primarily

Social background: Nightlife and social culture

Regional notes: Used across Japan. One of the most widely recognized sexual euphemisms in Japanese.