ようこそ

Japanese

Etymology

/joku koso//jou koso//joːkoso/. From the adverb 良く (yoku, well) and the emphatic particle こそ (koso). The medial -k- drops out and the resulting -ou- elide into a long vowel (ウ音便 (u-obin, u-euphony)).

Pronunciation

  • (Tokyo) ーこそ [yóꜜòkòsò] (Atamadaka – [1])[1]
  • IPA(key): [jo̞ːko̞so̞]

Adverb

ようこそ (yōkoso) 

  1. welcome (greeting given upon someone's arrival)
    ()(ほん)ようこそ
    Nihon e yōkoso!
    Welcome to Japan!
    ()(きゅう)ようこそ
    Chikyū e yōkoso!
    Welcome to Earth!
    (わたし)たちの(うち)ようこそ
    Watashitachi no uchi e yōkoso.
    Welcome to our home.
    • 2001 August 27, Amano, Kozue, “Navigation(ナビゲーション)01(れいいち) (みず)(わく)(せい) [Navigation 01: The Water Planet]”, in AQUA(アクア) [AQUA], volume 1 (fiction), Tokyo: Enix, →ISBN, page 10:
      (みず)(わく)(せい)AQUA(アクア)」へようこそ
      Mizu no Wakusei “Akua” e yōkoso
      Welcome to “AQUA”, the Water Planet

Usage notes

Usually follows (he, locative particle of a direction to an area, to), similar to "welcome to (an area)", or on its own.

References

  1. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
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