Japanese with Manga

Greeting a cousin's friend with どうも

Vocabulary Explanation: Ways to say thank you in Japanese

Manga panel from ひらやすみ showing example of Greeting a cousin's friend with どうも.
ひらやすみ » Volume 2 » Page 65

On his way home from buying groceries, Hiroto sees his cousin Natsumi cheering and dancing over a winning popsicle stick. While Natsumi agonizes over having been seen, Hiroto notices she’s brought a friend he hasn’t met.

なつみ:
「ぎゃ〜　はずかしー」
“Gah, how embarassing!”
ヒロト:
「どうもーーー　なっちゃんのいとこの生田(いくた)ヒロトです。」
“Howdy. I'm Nacchan's cousin, Hiroto Ikuta.”
あかり:
「え！　あ、初(はじ)めまして。横山(よこやま)あかりです！」
“Oh, ah, pleased to meet you. My name's Akari Yokoyama!”
「今日(きょう)はお世話(せわ)になります！」
“Thank you for having me today!”
ヒロト:
「こちらこそ〜」
“The pleasure is mine!”

Key Points

1どうも works as a casual greeting here
  • Hiroto is not saying “thank you”. どうも can stand alone as a brief “hi” when the situation makes the greeting clear.
2なっちゃんのいとこの生田(いくた)ヒロト identifies Hiroto by his relationship
  • The first の makes なっちゃんのいとこ, “Nacchan’s cousin”.
  • The second の links that description to his name.
3今日(きょう)はお世話(せわ)になります = “Thank you for having me today”
  • 今日(きょう)は sets “today” as the frame. お世話(せわ)になります is a polite set phrase used when someone expects another person’s help or care.
  • Here Akari is thanking Hiroto in advance for having her over, rather than thanking him for something already finished.
4こちらこそ returns the courtesy
  • こちら refers to Hiroto’s side, and こそ singles it out. His reply amounts to “No, the pleasure is mine.”

Vocabulary

(Today)

今日(きょう) means today. In formal writing, it can also mean the present day or current era.

See Also

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