「Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu」: The Subtle 'Leaving First' Greeting

Surely anyone who has worked in a Japanese company has experienced this feeling: your work is done, the clock has struck leaving time, but everyone around you is still diligently typing away... 🤔 The feeling of wanting to stand up and leave but feeling really awkward, even a little 'guilty'.

This is when you need the 'magic' phrase:

「お先に失礼します」(Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu)

🧐 More than just 'I'm leaving first'

If translated literally, this sentence means 'I am being rude by leaving first'. Sounds a bit too formal, right? But this is the key to showing subtlety in Japanese office culture.

When you say this, you are implicitly expressing:

1. Respect: 'I know everyone is still working hard, I'm very sorry I can't stay with you.' 🙏
2. Humility: You are aware that leaving when others are still there is a 'rude' act (even though it's not in reality), and you are asking for permission for it.
3. Professionalism: This is an unwritten rule. Leaving quietly without a word will be considered extremely rude and lacking in collective consciousness. 👻

✅ Standard usage and the corresponding 'response'

When you decide to leave, stand up from your chair, turn to your remaining colleagues and say clearly:

You: 「お先に失礼します！」 (Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu!)

At this point, those who are staying will respond to you. And this is also an important point you need to know!

Colleague: 「お疲れ様でした！」 (Otsukaresama deshita!)

✨ Super pro-tip: The person staying will use the past tense でした (deshita) to respond to the person leaving, as a way of acknowledging 'Your work day is over. You've worked hard!'. Conversely, those who are still there to greet each other will still use「お疲れ様です」(Otsukaresama desu).

❌ Mistakes to avoid

• Leaving quietly: Absolutely not! You will be considered 'KY' (Unable to read the room).
• Using 「さようなら」 (Sayonara): This word has a sense of farewell, not used in the office.
• Using 「じゃあね」 (Jaa ne) or 「バイバイ」 (Bai bai): Too informal and casual.

Just a simple greeting, but it contains the culture of respect and emphasis on harmony (和 - wa) of the Japanese. Mastering this 'rule of the game', you will always score points in the eyes of your colleagues and superiors! 😉