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What's a word or concept in your language that does not translate very well to English? (lemmy.world)
submitted 2 weeks ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
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Asking non-native English speakers.

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[–] 3 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

itsdakomasu

Did you mean itadakimasu?

Because that is what you say in Japanese when you start eating but interestingly it doesn't mean "Guten Appetit" (basically "have a nice meal") but "I am (thankfully) going to receive (a nice meal)". While "Guten Appetit" is about others who are eating alongside you, "itadakimasu" is about the speaker.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago (1 child)

    Wasn't itadakimasu religious in origin? Making it something more like the prayer before the food that English-speaking Christians do - "Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gifts, which we are about to receive..."?

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  • [–] 1 point 2 weeks ago

    I wouldn't know. The verb is itadaku which is a humble form of the verb morau, meaning "to receive". The imasu part is basically just polite grammar. If there is anything religious about it, it's obscure.

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