🦅 Project Eagle
Synonym Comparison

The Nuance Difference: "行きます" vs "いってらっしゃい"

Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.

Japanese Term A

行きます

いきます (ikimasu)
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 行きます and いってらっしゃい are often translated to English but have distinct usages. 行きます (いきます (ikimasu)) represents "to go (polite form)" (Level: N5) and typically represents Polite form of 行く. 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 "行きます"
学校へ行きます。
I go to school.
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: "学校へ ___ 。" (Meaning: "I go to school.")
🎉 Correct Answer!

Remember: "行きます" fits here because it represents "to go (polite form)" in the context: "I go to school.".