Languages › Japanese Defining Tadaima in Japanese Share Flipboard Email Print d3sign/Getty Images Japanese Essential Japanese Vocabulary History & Culture Japanese Grammar By Namiko Abe Japanese Language Expert B.A., Kwansei Gakuin University Namiko Abe is a Japanese language teacher and translator, as well as a Japanese calligraphy expert. She has been a freelance writer for nearly 20 years. our editorial process Namiko Abe Updated July 15, 2019 The meaning of the Japanese word Tadaima is "I'm back home." However, the literal translation of tadaima from Japanese to English is actually “just now." It would be awarkard in English to say “just now” when arriving home, but in Japanese this phrase really means, “I just came home." Tadaima is a shortened version of the original Japanese phrase “tadaima kaerimashita,” which means, “I just came home.” Responses to Tadaima "Okaerinasai （おかえりなさい）" or "Okaeri （おかえり）are responses to Tadaima. The translation of those words is "welcome home." Tadaima and okaeri are two of the most common Japanese greetings. In fact, the order in which they are said is not important. For those fans of anime or Japanese dramas, you'll hear these phrases over and over. Related Phrases: Okaeri nasaimase! goshujinsama (おかえりなさいませ！ご主人様♥) means “welcome home master.” This phrase is used a lot in anime by maids or butlers. Pronunciation of Tadaima Listen to the audio file for "Tadaima." Japanese Characters for Tadaima ただいま。