Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "来ます" vs "おかえりなさい"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
来ます
きます (kimasu)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
おかえりなさい
おかえりなさい (okaerinasai)
N5 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both 来ます and おかえりなさい are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
来ます (きます (kimasu)) represents "to come (polite form)" (Level: N5) and typically represents Polite form of 来る.
On the other hand, おかえりなさい (おかえりなさい (okaerinasai)) translates to "Welcome home; Welcome back (response to 'tadaima')" (Level: N5) and is used for Said by those who are home to welcome someone who has just returned. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "来ます"
友達が家に来ます。
My friend comes to my house.
Bilingual Sentence for "おかえりなさい"
私が「ただいま」と言うと、母は「おかえりなさい」と言いました。
When I said "Tadaima," my mother said "Okaerinasai."
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "友達が家に ＿＿＿ 。" (Meaning: "My friend comes to my house.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "来ます" fits here because it represents "to come (polite form)" in the context: "My friend comes to my house.".