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いらっしゃいませ (irasshaimase) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

いらっしゃいませ

also: いらしゃいませ

い

ら

っ

しゃ

い

ま

せ

Common word›JLPTN5›

Meanings

1

welcome; hello; may I help you?

Fixed polite greeting used by staff when customers enter a shop or restaurant. Not used in other contexts.

店みせに入はいると、店てん員いんが「いらっしゃい

ませ

」

と

言い

っ

た

。

When I entered the shop, the clerk said, "Welcome!"

いらっしゃいませ、何なん名めい様さまですか？

Welcome! How many people are in your party?

Related words

ようこそN1
いらっしゃいませ is the fixed greeting shop staff say to entering customers, whereas ようこそ is a broader 'welcome' used for guests, events, or websites and not a standard retail greeting.
いらっしゃいN4
いらっしゃい is a shorter, slightly casual greeting or command, while いらっしゃいませ is the fuller, more formal version standard in shops and formal service settings.

Politeness

いらっしゃいplainN4
いらっしゃいませ is the polite, formal version used by shop or restaurant staff, while いらっしゃい is the plainer form used casually, e.g. welcoming someone to your home.

Etymology

Derived from the polite imperative form of いらっしゃる (honorific for 'to come/go/be'), with the polite suffix ませ.