Humanities Languages The Meaning of Tadaima Japanese Phrases Share Flipboard Email Print Languages Japanese Vocabulary Basics History & Culture Grammar English as a Second Language Spanish French German Italian Mandarin Russian English Grammar View More by Namiko Abe 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. Updated May 31, 2018 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。 Continue Reading