おかげで (o kage de) Meaning Japanese Grammar - Thanks To
Anna Baffa Volpe
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Anna Baffa Volpe
7 min reading time
The expression おかげで (o kage de) means thanks to, because of.
It is a widely used expression in the Japanese language, heard often at a colloquial level, in everyday conversation and also in a professional context.
Its transcription in Kanji is お陰で.
Let's look together at the parts that form お陰で and how it is used in the Japanese language, through example sentences of everyday use.
How おかげで is formed
The expression is formed by:
- お honorific prefix
- 陰 noun meaning
shadowthat is, the part we do not see, the invisible referring to God, to the deities - 様 honorific suffix
- the particle で
- or the copula です
to be
友達が引っ越しを手伝ってくれたおかげでたった二時間で完了できました。
Thanks to a friend who helped me move, I was able to complete the move in just two hours.
How and when to use お陰で
お陰で is an expression used to express gratitude 感謝 or appreciation towards a person or even a situation that has benefited us. It means that something occurred and was possible thanks to the effort, help and contribution of someone else.
We are grateful when we speak of a positive situation, a good result achieved thanks to a certain cause, reason or condition.
We are also thankful to that invisible part that the shadow 陰 represents and that we can identify with God, Heaven, the deities, the Fortune.
日本語を習ったおかげで、いい仕事を見つけることができました。
I was able to find a good job because I learned Japanese.
雨が降ってくれたおかげで、行きたくなかった遠足が中止になりました。
Thanks to the rain, the excursion I didn't want to go on was cancelled.
- From a Japanese YouTube channel named after a 物語
story:
あなたのおかげで世界は回る。
The world turns thanks to you.
お陰で ironically used
The expression is also used when the result, the effect of an action is not positive, with a sense of irony towards the situation or towards the person who caused the problem in some way.
山田さんが遅刻したおかげで、飛行機に乗れませんでした。
Because of Yamada's lateness, I couldn't get on the plane.
仕事が忙しかったおかげで、パーティーに行かなくてすみました。
Thanks to my workload, I didn't have to go to the party.
お陰さまです to express Gratitude
「お陰さまです」 is a popular form of gratitude used in Japan.
We explain the meaning with a short sentence.
他人の親切や助けに対して感謝の気持ちを表しています。
It expresses gratitude for the kindness and help of others.
A short sentence from an interview with a Buddhist monk in Japan.
0:00.00
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実はこのお陰様でという言葉、私は仏教用語ではないかなというふうに思っています。
Actually, I think the word `'O kage sama de' is a Buddhist term.
陰 has been used since ancient times with the meaning of being in the shadow of something great such as a deity or Buddha and receiving protection from him. 陰 represents the Chinese concept Yin, the feminine, negative and lunar side, while 陽 Yang represents the masculine, positive and solar side.
おかげさまで、家族全員、元気に過ごしております。
Thankfully, my family is doing well.
たけし
試験結果はどうだった?
How was the result of the test?
ゆきこ
おかげさまで、合格しました。
Thankfully, I passed the test.
The translation of the form expressing gratitude can be: thank Heaven, thank God, fortunately, thankfully according to our sensibility and thinking.
お陰さまで used to reply greetings 挨拶の返事
ともこ
お元気ですか。
How are you?
あきこ
はい、おかげさまで元気です。
Yes, thank goodness I'm fine.
From a Japanese motivational video:
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-1:0-1.00
君のおかげで全部上手くいっているよ！凄い！凄い！
Thanks to you, everything is going great! Awesome! Amazing!
Examples of お陰で
ありがとう、あなたが頑張ってくれてるおかげです。
Thank you for your hard work.
インターネットが普及したおかげで、多くの情報が手に入れられるようになりました。
Thanks to the widespread use of the internet, a lot of information is now available.
趣味が多いおかげで、いろいろな友人ができました。
Thanks to my many hobbies, I have made many friends.
Similar grammar points in Japanese 📚