The Meaning of odaiji ni [お大事に] In Japanese

お大事に
おだいじに
Romaji: odaiji ni

What does お大事に mean?

Translation and Meaning

take care, get well soon

Definition

What does お大事に mean? It is a polite wish meaning ‘please take care’ or ‘get well soon’ directed at someone’s health; used when someone is ill or recovering, often at the end of a conversation, card, or message to express heartfelt care. It conveys concern for the other person’s well-being and functions as a conventional parting phrase.

Type

set phrase (慣用表現)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • Get well soon or please take care of yourself, especially when someone is sick or recovering
  • Used as a polite closing in conversations, cards, messages to convey concern for the other person’s health
  • Conveys warmth and concern in both casual and formal registers

Etymology

o as honorific prefix; daiji from 大 big + 事 matter; the pronunciation odaiji develops as a fixed expression over time

Composition

  • お – honorific prefix attached to nouns and phrases to show politeness
  • 大事 – 大 means big/great; 事 means matter; together they form important matters, extended here to health
  • に – particle indicating direction or target of the action

Usage

  • Used toward someone who is ill or recovering
  • Common in both spoken and written Japanese
  • Appropriate in polite and semi-formal contexts; not used with strangers in very casual settings
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a doctor saying ‘big matter’ about your health and wrap it with the polite お to remember to say お大事に; visualize keeping a big health issue in check to recall the phrase

Variations

  • お体にお気をつけて (o-karada ni ki o tsukete) — health-focused variant
  • お体を大事に (otai o daiji ni) — take good care of your body
  • Be well; take care — English equivalents

Example Phrases

  • 風邪をひいた同僚に、お大事にと声をかけた。
    Kaze o hiita douryou ni, odaiji ni to koe o kaketa.
    To a coworker who caught a cold, I told them to take care.
    Lista:
    • 風邪をひいた同僚に (kaze o hiita douryou ni) – to a coworker who caught a cold
    • お大事に (odaiji ni) – take care
    • と (to) – and/quote marker
    • 声を (koe o) – voice / object marker
    • かけた (kaketa) – said / spoke to
    「お大事に」 is a conventional phrase used to wish someone who is ill to take care; in this sentence it is the quoted thing you say, connected by と to 声をかけた.
お大事に