ごちそうさま（ごちそうさま、gochisousama）
- thank you for the meal

ごちそうさま is a common Japanese phrase used after finishing a meal. It expresses gratitude for the food, the person who prepared it, and the meal itself. It's a way of saying "thank you for the meal," similar to "bon appétit" or "いただきます (itadakimasu)" before eating. It conveys appreciation for the effort that went into providing the food. The phrase also acknowledges the "sacrifice" of the ingredients.

⚫︎ 食事（しょくじ）の後（あと）、ごちそうさまを言（い）いました。 Translation: I said "gochisousama" after the meal. ⚫︎ おいしい夕食（ゆうしょく）をごちそうさまでした。 Translation: Thank you for the delicious dinner. ⚫︎ ごちそうさま！とても美味（おい）しかったです。 Translation: Thank you! It was very delicious.

⚫︎ ごちそうさま is primarily used after finishing a meal. ⚫︎ It is appropriate regardless of who prepared the food – whether it was a home-cooked meal, a restaurant meal, or food provided by someone else. ⚫︎ The tone can range from casual to formal depending on the context and the people you are speaking to. ⚫︎ It is generally considered polite and customary to say ごちそうさま. ⚫︎ It is often said with a slight bow or a nod of the head as a sign of respect.

⚫︎ The standard way to write this phrase is in hiragana: ごちそうさま. ⚫︎ There is no kanji for ごちそうさま, so it's always written in hiragana. ⚫︎ There are no variations in the okurigana.

There aren't direct synonyms that convey the same level of gratitude specifically after a meal. However, related expressions include: ⚫︎ ありがとう (arigatou) - "Thank you" (general thank you) ⚫︎ 感謝（かんしゃ）します (kansha shimasu) - "I am grateful" (more formal)

There isn't a direct antonym. Not saying anything would be the closest, which would imply a lack of gratitude, but it is not a direct opposite.

お母さん（かあさん）が作（つく）ってくれた夕食（ゆうしょく）を全部（ぜんぶ）食（た）べた後（あと）に、ごちそうさまと言（い）いました。 ・Translation: After eating all of the dinner my mother made, I said "gochisousama." ・Explanation: This sentence illustrates the typical use of ごちそうさま after finishing a meal prepared by someone else.

レストランで食事（しょくじ）を終（お）えて、会計（かいけい）の後（あと）に「ごちそうさまでした」と言（い）いました。 ・Translation: After finishing my meal at the restaurant, I said, "gochisousama deshita" to the staff after paying the bill. ・Explanation: This shows a more formal usage of the phrase after a meal at a restaurant. Here, ごちそうさまでした is used, which adds a level of politeness.

⚫︎ The etymology is believed to be rooted in the idea of appreciating the effort and resources used to prepare the meal. ⚫︎ It's a contraction of a longer phrase, likely related to the phrase, 御馳走様でした (gochisou sama deshita), which directly translates to "it was a feast" or "you were a great host." The 御 (go) is a polite prefix. 馳走 (chisou) refers to the effort and care put into preparing a meal, and 様 (sama) indicates respect. ⚫︎ The word also implies a sense of satisfaction and fullness after having eaten.