Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "待ちます" vs "いってらっしゃい"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
待ちます
まちます (machimasu)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
いってらっしゃい
いってらっしゃい (itterasshai)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both 待ちます and いってらっしゃい are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
待ちます (まちます (machimasu)) represents "to wait" (Level: N5) and typically represents Polite form of 待つ. Used for waiting for someone or something..
On the other hand, いってらっしゃい (いってらっしゃい (itterasshai)) translates to "Go and come back safely; See you later (response to 'ittekimasu')" (Level: N5) and is used for Said by those remaining behind to someone who is leaving. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "待ちます"
バスを待ちます。
I wait for the bus.
Bilingual Sentence for "いってらっしゃい"
父が「いってきます」と言うと、母は「いってらっしゃい」と答えます。
When my father says "Ittekimasu," my mother replies "Itterasshai."
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "バスを ＿＿＿ 。" (Meaning: "I wait for the bus.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "待ちます" fits here because it represents "to wait" in the context: "I wait for the bus.".