おめでとう

お

め

で

と

う

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

Meanings

1

interjection

congratulations; well done; best wishes

usually written using kana alone

Common congratulatory interjection used on celebratory occasions such as birthdays, graduations, or achievements.

誕たん

生じょう

日び

おめでとう

！

Happy birthday!

合ごう格かくおめでとうございます。

Congratulations on passing the exam.

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉おめでとうcongratulations on ~ (an event or achievement)
お誕たん生じょう日びおめでとう！
Happy birthday!
ご〈事こと〉おめでとうcongratulations on ~ (formal event, with ご prefix)
ご結けっ婚こんおめでとう。
Congratulations on your marriage.

Kanji

御honorable, manipulate, govern
目eye, class, look
出exit, leave, go out
度degrees, occurrence, time
芽bud, sprout, spear

Related words

寿ことぶき
おめでとう is the ordinary spoken word for 'congratulations', while 寿 is a formal, often written symbol used on envelopes and decorations for the same idea.
お祝いわいN4
おめでとう is the spoken interjection used to congratulate someone directly, while お祝い is the noun for the act of celebrating or the gift itself.

Politeness

おめでとうございますpolite 丁寧語
おめでとう is the casual congratulatory interjection used with friends or family, while おめでとうございます is its polite form used in formal or respectful contexts.

Written forms

Applies to each form listed below

ateji (phonetic kanji usage)rarely-used kanji form

御お目め出で度とう
Ateji spelling; rarely used.
御お芽め出で度とう
Ateji spelling; rarely used.

Etymology

Formed from the honorific prefix お and めでとう, the adverbial form of めでたい produced by historical sound change. It originally expressed that an occasion was auspicious or worthy of celebration.

喜よろこびN3

おめでとう is the everyday way to say congratulations, while formal phrases built on 喜び, such as お喜び申し上げます, are used in speeches and letters.