JAPANESE WORDS THAT ENGLISH NEEDS, 5

Otsukaresama desu — A Japanese Expression of Appreciation that English Needs

An all-purpose word of thanks and respect

Each time I walk into the locker room at the indoor swimming pool, every woman I pass greets me with, not Konnichiwa, Hello, as one might think, but with Otsukaresama desu.

I reply in turn, Otsukaresama desu.

When seeing a woman cleaning a public place, I smile and say, Otsukaresama desu.