View topic - Samurai says "Welcome to my store!!!". Um, what??

by **Shiroisan** » Tue 03.29.2011 6:19 pm

In this video, at 0:45, the sword-weilder shouts at his opponent "Irrashaimase!!"

I thought this is what store owners shout out when people come into their store... I'm so confused!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4GuG9Mp ... ture=feedu

by **chikara** » Tue 03.29.2011 8:30 pm

Irrashaimase is a polite way of saying "welcome". It is what store owners and restaurant staff shout to greet customers so in that context it is "welcome [to my store/restaurant]". In the context of that video it would be "welcome {to the battle]" or some such.

Remember context is everything.

Here are some examples.

by **Shiroisan** » Wed 03.30.2011 10:48 pm

I guess I'm just so used to hearing/ seeing it used in polite contexts of welcoming that seeing it shouted before a sword swing just totally threw me off guard. Perhaps in any other politer context I could have figured it out myself, but anyway haha...

thanks.

P.S. That website looks so helpful!! I'll favourite that website!

by **blutorange** » Sat 04.02.2011 5:46 am

On a note, also consider that the basic meaning (literal meaning) of いらっしゃいませ is simply "Be!";　いらっしゃる being polite for 居（い）る - and ませ is the commanding form of ます. I think this makes it a bit easier to understand why it can be used in these other situations as well.

by **Hyperworm** » Sat 04.02.2011 8:21 am

And not just "be"; いらっしゃる has a number of other meanings too.

It might be that this use is 来る, as 「来い！」 would fit the situation perfectly.

I wouldn't think it unnatural for someone in combat in an anime to say 「ようこそ・・・」 or 「いらっしゃい（ませ）・・・」 as his opponent enters the battlefield, or even sneak-attack them yelling it... but in this context, with a speech preceding a strike, "welcome" seems somehow out of place...
I can't remember seeing いらっしゃいませ used to mean「来い！」 before, but...