ご馳走

ごちそう
noun
feast; treat; delicious food
1. feast; delicious food
Special, elaborate, or particularly good food.
ごちそうさまでした。
Thank you for the meal.
Said after eating
これは本当(ほんとう)のごちそうですね。
This is a real feast.
テーブルにごちそうがたくさん並(なら)んでいた。
Lots of delicious food was laid out on the table.
母(はは)が誕生日(たんじょうび)に私(わたし)のためにごちそうを作(つく)ってくれた。
My mother made a feast for me on my birthday.
お正月(しょうがつ)には家族(かぞく)みんなで集(あつ)まって、おばあちゃんが作(つく)ったごちそうを食(た)べる。
On New Year's, the whole family gathers and eats the feast that grandma made.
2. treat; treating someone
The act of paying for someone's meal.
今日(きょう)は私(わたし)がごちそうします。
Today is my treat.
Offering to pay
昨日(きのう)はごちそうになりました。
Thank you for treating me yesterday.
先輩(せんぱい)に食事(しょくじ)をごちそうになった。
My senior treated me to a meal.
試験(しけん)に受(う)かったお祝(いわ)いに、父(ちち)がごちそうしてくれた。
My father treated me to celebrate passing the exam.
いつもごちそうしてもらっているので、今度(こんど)は私(わたし)がごちそうしたい。
You always treat me, so next time I want to treat you.

ごちそう combines the honorific ご with 馳走(ちそう) (originally meaning "running around" to prepare a meal for guests).

KEY EXPRESSIONS:

  • ごちそうさまでした: thank you for the meal (said after eating; one of the most essential daily phrases)
  • ごちそうする: to treat someone to a meal (I pay)
  • ごちそうになる: to be treated to a meal (someone else pays; polite)

Sense 1 (feast): Refers to special, elaborate, or delicious food. Often used when someone has prepared something with care.

Sense 2 (treat): Used when offering to pay for someone's meal, or thanking someone for paying. Central to Japanese dining etiquette — knowing when to offer and how to accept gracefully matters socially.

WRITING:
Often written in hiragana. The kanji 御馳走(ごちそう) exists but is rarely used in everyday writing.

Related Words

Synonym: おごる (to treat (informal))
core
Added 2026.1.8 12:55 · Revised 2026.4.20 14:05
01000/01336_gochisou