Translation guide
How to express 'treat someone' in Japanese, covering hospitality, paying for someone, medical treatment, and general behavior toward others.
To pay for someone's food, drink, or entertainment as a host or generous gesture.
The most common verb for treating someone to a meal or drink. Often used in casual and semi-formal settings.
I'll treat you today.
My senior treated me to lunch.
Literally 'to feast someone', implying a more elaborate or formal treat. Can be used for meals or experiences.
I'll treat you tonight (to a nice meal).
Noun form meaning 'my treat' or 'on me'. Often used in casual invitations.
Today it's my treat.
To act or behave toward someone in a specified manner, such as kindly, badly, fairly, etc.
Pattern: [person]に[adverb]接する. Used for describing how you treat someone (kindly, coldly, etc.). The adverb is often the -く form of an adjective.
He treats everyone kindly.
The boss treated his subordinates coldly.
Pattern: [person]を[adverb]扱う. Similar to 接する but can imply more active handling or management. Often used for 'treat unfairly' or 'treat like a child'.
Formal term for 'treat' in terms of reception, hospitality, or employment conditions. Often used in business or official contexts.
To provide medical care or treatment to a patient.
General verb for medical treatment. Used for both physical and mental conditions.
The doctor treats the patient.
Can this illness be treated?
Literally 'to give first-aid/treatment'. Often used for immediate care or wound treatment.
Used specifically for a doctor examining or treating a patient. Often written as 診る to distinguish from 'see'.
To provide someone with a special experience or gift, not necessarily a meal.
おごる is casual and commonly used among friends or colleagues when one person pays. ごちそうする implies a more formal or lavish treat, often used when inviting someone to a nice restaurant or preparing a special meal.
I treated my friend to ramen.
I treated my parents to French cuisine.
Do not use 扱う (atsukau) for treating someone to a meal. 扱う means 'handle' or 'deal with' and would sound like you are handling a person as an object. Use おごる or ごちそうする instead.
I treated him to dinner. (incorrect, sounds like 'I handled him dinner')
He treats me like a child.
That teacher treats students equally.
Companies should treat employees fairly.
The nurse treated the injury.
Go get treated by the doctor.