Do you know the word omedetou? Would you like to know its real meaning? In this article, we will learn some interesting information about the famous Japanese word Omedetou (おめでとう) which primarily means congratulations.
We will also see some curiosities, some synonyms, and alternative words you can use to congratulate someone. The perfect word to say happy birthday, congratulations on your wedding, and many other phrases.
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What does omedetou mean in Japanese?
The word Omedetou (お目出度う) literally means congratulations on some auspicious occasion such as a birthday, wedding, or promotion. The word is composed of the adjective medetai (目出度い) which means happy, auspicious, cheerful, and favorable.
The word is composed of the ideograms eye [目] exit [出] and occurrence [度]. This word is usually accompanied by the famous expression gozaimasu (ございます) which makes the expression a bit more formal.
Ironically, the adjective medetai can also mean naive, innocent, foolish, good-humored. There are Japanese sweets that are also called omedetou (御目出糖) and are made from glutinous rice and azuki beans.
Other strange ways of writing “Medetai” that have fallen out of use are [芽出度い] and [愛でたい]. Nowadays, the word is more often written in hiragana when it is a congratulatory expression (omedetou) and sometimes with kanji if used as an adjective.
How to use the word Congratulations in Japanese
Below we will share some example sentences that can help you understand the use of the word omedetou:
- 明けましておめでとう (Akemashite omedetou) – Happy New Year
- 誕生日おめでとう (tanjoubi omedetou) – Happy Birthday
- ご婚約おめでとうございます (Go kon’yaku omedetōgozaimasu) – Congratulations on your engagement
- クリスマスおめでとう (kurisumasu omedetou) – Wishing you a Merry Christmas
- 優勝おめでとう (Yūshō omedetō) – Congratulations on the victory
- ハローウィンおめでとう (Harōu~in omedetō) – Happy Halloween
Synonyms and alternatives to omedetou
Before we start, I want to briefly mention the verb moushiageru (申し上げる) which means to express, declare, or extend and is usually used after some words that we will study below.
- 目出度し目出度し (medetashimedetashi) – And they all lived happily ever after
- お祝い(申し上げる) (oiwai (moushiageru)) – Congratulations, celebration, festival
- おめでとうさん (omedetousan) – Congratulations (Kansai dialect)
- お喜び(申し上げる) (oyorokobi (moushiageru)) – To express pleasure, happiness
- 寿 (kotobuki) – Congratulations, happiness, long life
- 祝賀 (shukuga) – Celebration, congratulations
- 慶賀 (keiga) – Congratulation
- コングラチュレーション (kongurachurēshon) – From the English congratulation
- 慶弔 (keichuu) – Congratulations, condolences
- やった! (yatta!) – To express excitement!
Phrases using the word omedetou
Below we will see some phrases teaching how to say happy birthday, happy new year, and other similar phrases in Japanese.
Happy Birthday (formal)
お誕生日おめでとうございます。
O-tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu.
Congratulations on your wedding!
ご結婚おめでとうございます。
Go-kekkon omedetou gozaimasu. (formal)
They congratulated the seniors on their promotion.
彼らは先輩に昇進おめでとうと言った。
Karera wa senpai ni shoushin omedetou to itta
Congratulations on Thanksgiving
感謝祭おめでとう。
kanshasai omedetou
Congratulations on Valentine’s Day
バレンタインデーおめでとう。
Barentaindē omedetō
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