How to say "let's go" in Japanese (2023)

The Japanese language has many different words for movement. There are different words for going under, over, back into, etc. Today you will learn how to say "Let's go" in Japanese.

But the good doesn't stop there!

I'll show you other ways of saying Go, like the different types I mentioned in the introduction. I'll also share with you some more formal versions of "to go" and some other words used to get on and off.

How do you say let's go in Japanese

The first thing we need to look at is the Japanese word for "to walk". The dictionary form is 行く (iku).

This is how we can turn the verb into its volitional form, which is used to express a person's will when performing an action. This changes the word to 行こう (ikou), which means "will" when translated directly, but is also the form used to suggest "let's go".

• "Yuriko, let's go outside."
• „Yuriko, soto ni ikou“
• "Yuriko, let's go outside"

This is the casual form of the verb, so you'll probably hear it most often among friends or people who are in the same group and social status, such as B. Classmates or colleagues.

• Good movie, come on!
  
• ii ne eiga, ikou ikou!
• A movie looks great! C'mon C'mon!

If you want to say it more politely, change it to 行きましょう (ikimashou). It means the same thing but it's more formal and can be used with people you don't know.

• Let's eat next time.
• kondo, tabe ni ikimashou.
• Let's (go) eat something next time.

If you've ever played a Mario game on Nintendo, you've undoubtedly heard the phrase "Let's go!" someday. In Japanese, this is actually a loan word that comes directly from English.

• Let's go!
• retsu geh!
• Let's go!

There are many Japanese words that come directly from English, so it's best to keep an eye on them.

Related: Learn to say stop in Japanese.

That's it for the basic ways to say "Let's go". If you're interested in checking out some of the more formal forms of this verb, or some of the related words like "go home, go down, etc." So read on to learn them.

Formal ways to say go

When it comes to formal spoken Japanese, there are generally two routes you can take. The first is to use words that demean your own position.

These are known as the "humble" form of verbs and words, and the basic idea is that by lowering yours, you indirectly raise the status of the person you're talking to.

These are the sort of words employees often use with customers, or maids and butlers with theirsMaestro.

The humble Japanese word for "go" is 参る (mairu). The interesting thing is that this word can also be used to say “come” and so the meaning can change depending on the situation.

• Let's go.
• de wa, mairimasuhou.
• Well then, come on madam (my good sir).

The other way to show respect in the Japanese language is to use words that directly elevate the listener's position. These are called honorifics and are a more direct way than humble words to show that you consider a person to be above you in whatever situation you find yourself in.

Again, these are words that customer service representatives or anyone helping a customer is likely to use. The dictionary form of the word is いらっしゃる (irassharu) and similar to the first word we learned in this section, it can mean both "coming" and "going".

You've probably heard this word in a phrase thrown around when customers enter a retailer's store.

• Welcome!
• irassaimase!
• Welcome!

If you want to conjugate this verb to say "let's go," you would do so by changing it to irassharou (irassharou) or irassharimasu (irassharimasu). However, I have never heard or seen either of these two words.

You can find them underconjugation tables like this oneYou have to see that the forms exist, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee that people will actually use them in real life.

other types of walking

The interesting thing about Japanese is that the language can be incredibly precise on certain words.

For example, the Japanese word 通る (tooru) means “to pass over; happen; Accompany; etc.” and is often used when not “walking” anywhere but “passing through something,” like the city, or when light is passing through an object.

• around the city
• Machi o Toru
• go through the city

The same kanji can be used in the word 通う (kayou) to mean "to go to and from (a place)"; going back and forth" and is often used when referring to "going to school" or in other words "going to school".

• Which school do you attend?
• doko no gakkou ni kayotte iru nein?
• What school do you go to [that you go to]?

[Those]

go over or under something

The Japanese language uses the word 越える (koeru) for "to rise above". This can be something physical, like a mountain range, or it could be something non-physical, like a hardship in life.

• Cross the bridge and turn right at the next intersection.
  
• hashi o koete tsugi no kousaten o migi ni magatte kudasai.
• Cross the bridge and turn right at the next intersection.

[Those]

Of course, since we have a word for going beyond, it makes sense that we also have a word for going under, right?

Parts list?!

Sorry I've been a little crazy there for a while. This is one of the reasons people take so long to learn Japanese. Because they have so many subtle words.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings.

The word I'm talking about is 潜る (kuguru) meaning to go down/go down; happen/happen".

Although I'm taking this part of the sentence a bit out of context, if it were alone it could be read like this:

• do not enter through this door
• kono mon o kuguru bekarazu
• (one) must not go through this door

The interesting thing about this word is that while it contains the kanji I'm using, it's actually more commonly written in hiragana, as seen in the tweet.

get in or out of something

When you want to talk about "going out" of something, like a room or a house, use the word 出る (deru). This word has many possible meanings, but I'll cover only these and their opposites in this section so as not to overload you with information.

• I left the reception room.
  
• ousetsu shit o dete itta.
  
• Exit (left) the reception room.

It is quite common to see the verb 出る combined with 行く to say that a person has left a place and left the scene.

On the other hand, we have the verb 入る (hairu), meaning “to enter; enter” and can be used in situations similar to 出る, but in reverse (i.e. coming instead of going).

• I rarely enter this room.
• sono heya ni wa mettani hairimasen.
• I don't usually go in this room.

return somewhere

The final section of the new vocabulary includes two words that go back; turning back."

The first is return (kaeru) and the second is return (modoru).

The main difference between the two is that 帰る carries the nuance of “back to where I belong”, like the house you live in, your hometown, or even the country you were born in if you currently life. abroad.

• I'll send it to you when you come back.
• kaeru nara okuru yo.
• If you go home, I'll take you there.

While 戻る simply means "back to where you were (a moment ago)" and is usually the kanji used as the "back button" on electronic devices like your phone or computer.

[pelzig]

Now it's time to do something else

Wow, we've covered a lot of different ways to say "go" in Japanese!

What started as a simple journey to learn a phrase has grown into a master class in Japanese movement!

lol, ok, not really.

If you have any questions you would like to ask or if you would like to comment, please feel free to post them in the comment section below.