お辞儀（おじぎ、ojigi）
- bow

The Japanese word お辞儀 is a noun that refers to a bow, a gesture of respect, greeting, apology, or gratitude. It involves bending at the waist. The degree and duration of the bow depend on the situation and the level of respect being shown. It is a fundamental part of Japanese etiquette.

⚫︎会議の前に、皆に お辞儀をしました。 Translation: I bowed to everyone before the meeting. ⚫︎先生に お辞儀をして、教室に入りました。 Translation: I bowed to the teacher and entered the classroom. ⚫︎彼は深く お辞儀をして、謝罪しました。 Translation: He bowed deeply and apologized.

⚫︎お辞儀 is used in various situations, including: ⚫︎Greetings: Bowing to greet someone. ⚫︎Farewells: Bowing when leaving. ⚫︎Apologies: Bowing to express remorse. ⚫︎Gratitude: Bowing to show thanks. ⚫︎Respect: Bowing to superiors or elders. ⚫︎The depth of the bow indicates the level of respect or formality. A slight bow (15 degrees) is common for greetings. A deeper bow (30-45 degrees) is often used for apologies or expressing strong gratitude.

⚫︎お辞儀 is typically written in hiragana as おじぎ. ⚫︎The kanji form is お辞儀, but it's generally written in hiragana. ⚫︎The verb form is 辞儀する (to bow), and the plain form is 辞儀する. ⚫︎There are no variations in okurigana for the noun. ⚫︎A more polite version can be お辞儀をします, which is the polite form of the verb "to bow". ⚫︎Variations in the word itself include [お辞儀], [辞儀], and conjugations of the verb to bow such as [お辞儀をし] (past tense), [お辞儀をして] (gerund), etc.

⚫︎礼 (rei): Bow; courtesy; salute. ⚫︎一礼 (ichirei): A single bow. ⚫︎頭を下げる (atama o sageru): To bow one's head. (This is a verb phrase.)

⚫︎There is no direct antonym, but the opposite action would be not bowing or showing disrespect.

お客様が帰る時に、丁寧にお辞儀をしました。 ・Translation: When the customer left, I bowed politely. ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates using [お辞儀] to show respect and farewell.

社長は私たちに お辞儀をして、感謝の気持ちを表しました。 ・Translation: The president bowed to us, expressing his feelings of gratitude. ・Explanation: This sentence shows [お辞儀] being used to show thanks from a superior.

The word お辞儀 is believed to come from the verb 辞儀する (jigi suru), which is a compound of 辞 (ji, meaning "to decline" or "to excuse oneself") and 儀 (gi, meaning "ceremony" or "etiquette"). The "o" is a polite prefix. The combination suggests a gesture of politely excusing oneself and showing respect.