Oideyasu and Okoshiyasu

Both Mean "Welcome"

Okoshiyasu (オコシヤス) is a Kyō-kotoba word meaning "Welcome; please come," used as in "Yōkoso, Kyōto ni okoshiyasu" ("Welcome to Kyoto"). Oideyasu is also Kyoto dialect used in situations such as shopping, and it corresponds to irasshaimase ("welcome").

Oideyasu and okoshiyasu are often introduced together as words said when welcoming guests. To start with, you can't go wrong if you understand both as greetings that welcome the other person.

What Kind of Word Is "-yasu"?

"O ... yasu" (御…やす) is a form used in the Kyoto–Osaka area: placing the continuative form of a verb in the middle expresses light respect. It is also used in greetings such as okaeriyasu ("welcome home") and oideyasu, and an example of okaeriyasu (おかへりやす) appears in the Kyōgenki of 1660.

The auxiliary verb yasu, in the form "o ... yasu," means "please do ..." with a touch of respect. Attached to oide ("coming"), it becomes oideyasu; attached to okoshi ("coming," more formal), it becomes okoshiyasu. Both are ways of saying "please come" or "welcome" to the other person. The Kyō-kotoba gomen'yasu, meaning "Hello, is anyone home?" (gomen kudasai), is another greeting that uses the same yasu.

Yasu itself is an old word. In the early Edo period it was used often by courtesans in Kamigata (the Kyoto–Osaka region), and in the late Edo period it was widely used in both Kamigata and Edo speech. The meaning "to do" (honorific, like nasaru) is said to have been used in Kamigata in the first half of the early modern period, and the meaning of the polite ending -masu in Kamigata and Edo in its second half.

What People Say About the Difference

Both basically mean "welcome," but one explanation says that okoshiyasu is used for guests who have an appointment or who have been eagerly awaited, while oideyasu is for first-time or unexpected guests, and that okoshiyasu expresses a stronger welcome.

Another explanation says that in the kagai (geisha districts), oideyasu is often used for first-time customers and okoshiyasu for regulars. Both explanations agree in pointing toward okoshiyasu for familiar or awaited guests.

What Can Be Confirmed, and What Can't

On the other hand, dictionaries and explanations of Kyō-kotoba do not say that the two are used differently. Even the explanations that describe a distinction limit it with phrases like "in the kagai" or "often."

So it would be going too far to think you are unwelcome because someone said oideyasu to you. It is best to see the distinction as a nuance that people feel differently depending on the shop, the household, and the speaker; one cannot go so far as to say that "Kyoto people always use them this way."

Where Can You Hear Them Today?

The "-yasu" form survives not only in shopfront greetings but also in annual events. During Sennichi-mairi at Atago Shrine, people passing each other on the mountain path call out "onoboriyasu" to those climbing and "okudariyasu" to those coming down, acknowledging each other's efforts.

In the kagai, the proprietress of an okiya (geisha house) calls out "okibariyasu" when sending geiko and maiko off to work. Whether welcoming, sending off, or passing by, the same yasu is used in moments of care for the other person.