Japanese word

お帰り

Pronunciation

Romajiokaeri

Meaning

  • nounreturn, welcome home

Example

父のお帰りを待ちます。chichi no o kae ri o ma chi ma su

I wait for my father's return.

Illustration for お帰り (return)

More examples

お父さんが帰ると、お帰りと言います。o chichi sa n ga kae ru to o kae ri to i i ma su

When Dad comes home, I say, "Welcome home."

家族のお帰りが遅いので、先に夕食を始めます。ka zoku no o kae ri ga oso i no de saki ni yū shoku o haji me ma su

Since my family will return late, I will start dinner first.

Core concept

It presents a return as someone coming back to the place they had left, and this meaning extends to the greeting お帰り (okaeri).

Common phrases

  • お帰りが遅いo kae ri ga oso i

    someone's return is late

  • お帰りを待つo kae ri o ma tsu

    wait for someone's return

Similar words

帰りkaeri: Coming back to a place that was previously left, or the time of that return.
帰還kikan: A return to an original place after a period of absence.

Definition in Japanese

出かけていた人が再び家やもとの場所に戻ること。de ka ke te i ta hito ga futata bi ie ya mo to no ba sho ni modo ru ko to

Word origin

お (o, "polite prefix") is attached to 帰り (kaeri, "return"), which comes from the stem of 帰る (kaeru, "to return").

Usage tips

  • The same Japanese form, お帰り (okaeri), names a return in a sentence but becomes a greeting when addressed to a person who has returned home.

Other meanings

  • welcome backinterjection

Opposites

Word lists with this word