Gozaimasu and Gozaru: What They Really Mean

You may have heard the word gozaimasu [ございます] in expressions like ohayou gozaimasu, omedetou gozaimasu and arigatou gozaimasu. So what the hell does it mean? Many claim it means "very", as in "thank you very much", but does it really mean that?

The word go-za-i-ma-su (御座います) is usually written only in hiragana. Its kanji spelling combines 御, an honorific prefix, 座, "seat", and the polite ending います. The main meaning of the word is to be, to exist, or to have. In keigo, it is used in place of arimasu [あります], while de gozaimasu [でございます] is more formal than desu [です].

In expressions like "thank you very much" or "congratulations", gozaimasu can sound like an intensifier, but its job is to add humility and politeness. The word before it is an adverbial form of an adjective: ohayou comes from hayai ("early"), arigatou from arigatai ("grateful"), and omedetou from medetai ("auspicious"). gozaimasu supplies the polite "it is". Among friends and close people, the shorter forms ohayou, omedetou and arigatou are common, since there is no need for formality.

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Gozaru: the origin of gozaimasu

To understand the true meaning of gozaimasu (ございます), we must first look at its origin. gozaimasu is a polite form of the verb gozaru [御座る], an older word for "to be" and "to exist". If you have watched anime or samurai movies, you have probably heard phrases ending in gozaru repeatedly.

In the past, gozaru was the polite form of aru [ある], and it was used for both people and inanimate objects. Today it survives mainly in gozaimasu, gozaimashita and gozaimashitara. Desu is also linked to this family, though its origin is debated.

When we talk about the verb to be in Japanese, it helps to compare gozaimasu to the equals sign in a sentence like "My name = Kevin". gozaimasu does two jobs: it says that something exists, or it works as a polite copula. In polite speech, that copula is de gozaimasu, while arimasu usually marks existence. gozaimashita is the past form of gozaimasu, as in arigatou gozaimashita when the thanks refers to something already finished.

• The meaning of Desu and DA (です/だ) in Japanese
• Keigo - The formality in the Japanese language

Gozaimasu in restaurants and everyday life

You will also hear gozaimasu outside greetings like good morning, thank you and congratulations. In a restaurant, the employees will probably use keigo and say gozaimasu instead of arimasu. The sentences below show how it sounds:

Table tip: on a phone, scroll the table sideways with your finger.

English	Japanese	Romaji
We have a special dish for you.	特別料理がございますが。	Tokubetsu ryōri ga gozaimasu ga.
Do you have any particular style in mind?	特にお望みの型はございますか。	Tokuni o-nozomi no kata wa gozaimasu ka.
This is the operator.	交換台でございます。	Kōkandai de gozaimasu.
Would you like to leave a message?	何かご伝言はございますか。	Nanika go-dengon wa gozaimasu ka.
We have safes.	セーフティーボックスがございます。	Sēfutībokkusu ga gozaimasu.
How many pieces of luggage do you have?	お荷物はいくつございますか。	O-nimotsu wa ikutsu gozaimasu ka.
We also have some local wines.	いくつかこの土地のワインもございます。	Ikutsu ka kono tochi no wain mo gozaimasu.

In everyday polite Japanese, gozaimasu is the standard form in greetings and service language. For ordinary existence, arimasu is enough, and de gozaimasu raises the register when you introduce yourself or answer the phone. The old gozaru still appears in historical roles, anime and set phrases, where it marks deliberately archaic speech.