When someone says ご苦労様です (gokurousama desu), they are thanking someone of lower status. The phrase お疲れ様です (otsukaresama desu) is used to thank someone of equal or higher status. You can use it when leaving work, or to someone who has done good work.
It’s similar to saying “good work” or “thanks for your hard work” in English. You can use it for all sorts of situations. Whether someone just finished a tough meeting or completed a big project, お疲れ様です is a versatile phrase to show your appreciation.
§ What does it mean?
The Japanese phrase お疲れ様です (Otsukaresama desu) is a really common and useful expression. It doesn't have a direct, single English translation, which can make it a bit tricky for learners at first. However, once you understand its core meaning, you'll hear it everywhere and realize how essential it is in daily Japanese conversation.
- DEFINITION
- Good work (expression of appreciation for effort). It acknowledges someone's hard work, effort, or even just their presence.
Think of it as acknowledging someone's labor, whether physical or mental. It's a way of saying, "You've worked hard," or "Thanks for your effort." It can also be used as a greeting or a farewell, depending on the context.
§ When do people use it?
This phrase is incredibly versatile and used in many situations. Here are the main ones:
- At Work: This is perhaps the most common place you'll hear お疲れ様です. Colleagues use it to greet each other at the start or end of the day, when leaving a meeting, or even when passing each other in the hallway. It's a way to acknowledge everyone's shared effort.
- After an Activity: If someone has finished a task, a project, or even a casual activity like cleaning up, you can use お疲れ様です to show appreciation for their work.
- As a Greeting/Farewell: In many professional and semi-professional settings, お疲れ様です can function as a "hello" or "goodbye" when encountering someone who is either still working or has just finished working.
- To express empathy: Sometimes, it's used to acknowledge that someone looks tired or has had a tough day, offering a gentle form of empathy.
Let's look at some examples to make this clearer.
部長、お疲れ様です。
Translation hint: "Boss, good work/thanks for your effort." (Said when you see your boss at the office.)
今日はもう帰ります。お疲れ様でした！
Translation hint: "I'm going home now. Good work everyone!" (Said when leaving the office before others.)
会議、お疲れ様でした。
Translation hint: "Good work on the meeting." (Said to someone who just finished a meeting.)
It's important to remember that お疲れ様です is primarily used among equals or when addressing someone of higher status. You generally wouldn't use it to someone of much lower status, like an intern, unless you are very close to them. In such cases, other expressions of thanks might be more appropriate. However, it's very common to hear superiors say it to their subordinates as a general appreciative greeting.
The beauty of お疲れ様です lies in its ability to foster a sense of camaraderie and mutual respect. It acknowledges that everyone is putting in effort, and it creates a positive atmosphere. Mastering this phrase will significantly improve your ability to interact naturally in Japanese professional and social settings.
Schwierigkeitsgrad
Short phrase with common kanji/kana.
Straightforward to write.
Common pronunciation, easy to mimic.
Very frequently heard, easy to recognize.
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今日もお疲れ様です！
Good work again today!
お仕事お疲れ様でした。
Good work on your job (past tense).
会議、お疲れ様でした。
Good work on the meeting (past tense).
皆さん、お疲れ様です！
Good work, everyone!
遅くまでお疲れ様です。
Good work staying late.
毎日お疲れ様です。
Good work every day.
お疲れ様です、休憩しましょう。
Good work, let's take a break.
テスト勉強、お疲れ様です。
Good work studying for the test.
毎日お仕事お疲れ様です。
Thank you for your hard work every day.
プレゼンテーションお疲れ様でした。
Good work on the presentation.
長時間の会議、お疲れ様でした。
Thanks for the long meeting.
今日もお疲れ様でした！
Good work today too!
練習お疲れ様。ゆっくり休んでね。
Good job at practice. Get some rest.
レポート作成、お疲れ様でした。
Good work on writing the report.
イベントの準備、お疲れ様でした。
Thanks for all the hard work preparing for the event.
テスト勉強、お疲れ様。
Good job studying for the test.
Teste dich selbst 48 Fragen
This sentence means 'I am a student.' The typical Japanese sentence structure is Subject-Object-Verb (SOV), but for simple 'A is B' sentences, it's Subject-Predicate.
This sentence means 'This is a book.' 'これは' (kore wa) means 'This is'.
This sentence means 'How are you?' 'お元気ですか' (o-genki desu ka) is a common greeting.
Imagine your colleague just finished a big project. How would you tell them 'Good work' in Japanese?
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
田中さん、お疲れ様です！素晴らしい仕事でした。
You are leaving work for the day. What do you say to your colleagues who are still working to acknowledge their continued effort?
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
皆さん、お疲れ様です。お先に失礼します。
Your friend helped you move. After it's all done, what would you say to express your appreciation for their hard work?
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
手伝ってくれてありがとう、お疲れ様です！
What is B expressing to everyone?
Read this passage:
A: 山田さん、今日の会議、とても役に立ちました。ありがとうございました。 B: いいえ、こちらこそ。皆さん、お疲れ様でした。
What is B expressing to everyone?
B is acknowledging the effort put in by everyone with 'お疲れ様でした'.
B is acknowledging the effort put in by everyone with 'お疲れ様でした'.
Why did you send 'お疲れ様です'?
Read this passage:
同僚がプレゼンテーションを成功させました。あなたは彼にメールで「お疲れ様です」と送りました。
Why did you send 'お疲れ様です'?
In this context, 'お疲れ様です' is used to appreciate a colleague's successful presentation.
In this context, 'お疲れ様です' is used to appreciate a colleague's successful presentation.
What is the boss's main sentiment towards the subordinates?
Read this passage:
上司が部下たちに「今日の仕事、よく頑張りましたね。お疲れ様です」と言いました。
What is the boss's main sentiment towards the subordinates?
The boss is praising their effort with 'よく頑張りましたね' (You worked hard) and showing appreciation with 'お疲れ様です'.
The boss is praising their effort with 'よく頑張りましたね' (You worked hard) and showing appreciation with 'お疲れ様です'.
A colleague is leaving work for the day.
Someone is working late, and a coworker acknowledges their effort.
After a presentation, someone is being thanked.
Read this aloud:
会議の準備、お疲れ様でした。
Focus: tsu-ka-re-sa-ma
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
研修、お疲れ様でした。
Focus: ken-shuu o-tsu-ka-re-sa-ma de-su
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
プロジェクト、お疲れ様でした。
Focus: pu-ro-je-ku-to o-tsu-ka-re-sa-ma
Du hast gesagt:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
This is a common way to greet someone at work or after a task, expressing appreciation for their efforts.
You use 'お疲れ様でした' (past tense) to acknowledge someone's hard work after an event has concluded, like a meeting.
This phrase combines acknowledging the difficulty of the work with an expression of appreciation. It's often used when you know someone has had a tough time.
今日の会議も長かったですね。皆さん、___。
This phrase is used to acknowledge hard work after a long meeting.
終業時刻ですね。___、また明日。
It's common to say this to colleagues when leaving work.
残業お疲れ様です。何か手伝いましょうか？
This phrase is often used to acknowledge someone working overtime.
新プロジェクトの準備、___。
It's an expression of appreciation for the effort put into a new project.
マラソン完走、___！
Used to acknowledge someone's effort and accomplishment after a physically demanding event like a marathon.
毎日のお仕事、本当にお___。
A common way to appreciate someone's daily work.
Choose the most appropriate situation to use 「お疲れ様です」.
「お疲れ様です」 is commonly used to acknowledge and appreciate someone's effort or hard work, especially at the end of a task or workday.
Which phrase has a similar nuance to 「お疲れ様です」 when acknowledging someone's effort?
「ご苦労様です」 also expresses appreciation for someone's efforts, though it is often used by a superior to a subordinate, whereas 「お疲れ様です」 can be used among peers or to a superior.
A colleague just finished a difficult presentation. What would you most likely say to them?
After someone completes a task, especially a challenging one, 「お疲れ様です」 is a polite way to acknowledge their hard work and effort.
You can use 「お疲れ様です」 to greet someone you haven't seen in a long time.
「お疲れ様です」 is used to acknowledge effort or hard work, not as a general greeting for someone you haven't seen. For that, you would use phrases like 「お久しぶりです」.
It is appropriate to say 「お疲れ様です」 to a colleague who has just arrived at work.
「お疲れ様です」 is typically used when someone has completed work or exerted effort. For someone arriving at work, 「おはようございます」 (Good morning) is more appropriate.
「お疲れ様です」 can be used when someone is leaving the office at the end of the day.
This is a very common usage of 「お疲れ様です」, acknowledging the day's work when someone is departing.
Choose the most appropriate situation to use 「お疲れ様です」.
「お疲れ様です」 is commonly used to acknowledge someone's effort or hard work, making it suitable for appreciating a colleague after they've completed a task.
Which of the following phrases is similar in meaning and usage to 「お疲れ様です」 in a professional context?
While 'Arigato gozaimasu' (thank you) can express appreciation, 'Gokurousama desu' is a more direct equivalent to 'Otsukaresama desu' in acknowledging someone's hard work, though 'Gokurousama desu' is typically used by a superior to a subordinate.
You overhear a manager saying 「お疲れ様でした」 to their team after a long meeting. What is the most likely implication?
When 「お疲れ様でした」 is used in this context, especially after a long meeting, it signifies the manager's appreciation for the team's effort and hard work during the meeting.
「お疲れ様です」 can be used when someone is just arriving at work to greet them.
While 「お疲れ様です」 is a versatile greeting, it's primarily used to acknowledge someone's effort or after they've completed a task, not typically as a general 'good morning' or 'hello' upon arrival. For arriving at work, 「おはようございます」 (Ohayō gozaimasu) is more appropriate.
It is generally acceptable to use 「お疲れ様です」 with both superiors and subordinates in a Japanese workplace.
「お疲れ様です」 is a highly versatile and polite phrase used across all levels in a Japanese workplace, from addressing colleagues of similar status to superiors and subordinates, to acknowledge their hard work or as a general greeting when passing by.
If you are leaving work before your colleagues, you can say 「お疲れ様です」 to them.
When leaving work before others, saying 「お疲れ様です」 (or 「お先に失礼します」 followed by 「お疲れ様です」) is a common way to acknowledge their continued work and express appreciation for their efforts.
This is a common and polite way to express appreciation for someone's hard work after a long meeting.
This expresses appreciation for someone's consistent effort in daily practice.
This is a standard way to acknowledge the hard work put into completing a project.
/ 48 correct
Perfect score!
Beispiel
皆さん、今日もお疲れ様でした！
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A1The act of making small changes to something to achieve a desired fit, function, or balance. In a work context, it specifically refers to coordinating schedules or aligning different opinions to reach an agreement.
有利な
B1Advantageous or favorable.
承知する
B1To acknowledge, agree; to be aware of and consent to something.
年収
B1Annual income; yearly salary.
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B1To apply for a position, a competition, a prize, or a public offer. It indicates a proactive step to participate in something.
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B1To apply for a job or position.
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B1At the same time as, simultaneously with.
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B1Attendance record; presence or absence from work.
係員
A2Person in charge; attendant.
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A2Bank employee.
