As an English speaker who doesn’t yet know the nuances of Japanese, what does this equate to or mean?
Is it just like a customary, “Thanks!” that you say when you get a gift?
Is it like, “Oh…thanks, I’m happy (I guess)!”
Or were they actually happy to get the gift?
I know it seems like a weird question, but I just want to gauge whether or not they actually liked the gift lol
6 comments
He/she was 嬉しい about it
It’s normal and customary to thank for a gift.
You gave your friend a gift and they thanked you. There isn’t anything to second guess in that sort of superficial interaction.
I’d say 嬉しいです if I’m actually happy, and I’d say the same if the situation calls for it even if I don’t care for it. You just have to read the air to see what the person really actually meant, and in most cases your true feeling isn’t for anyone else to know.
They were happy. Generally speaking (in my experience), the common responses to receiving a gift are thank you (of course), or an expression of joy.
And (to my knowledge), most Japanese will unwrap gifts at home rather than in front of the giver, although they may ask if it’s okay to open it then or there (or the giver may encourage them). I believe the thinking is so they don’t look greedy/like they’re only interested in the gift.
A: お誕生日おめでとう。プレゼントをどうぞ。
B: わあ！ありがとう。すごく嬉しい。
A: 開けてください。
Well um, 嬉しい means they’re happy.
Now the actual nuance kinda depends on what tone they said it in. With just text, I can’t tell if it was an obligatory 嬉しい or a genuine one.
All i can tell you is, it means the speaker is happy. So I guess they were happy?
If this was a text by them and not a vocal response. I’d consider this a genuine one. But then again it really depends on the kind of person and the kind of texter they are normally.
When I say 嬉しい(うれしい)です alone when someone gave me something, I mean, it’s in saying instead of “Thank you” but I’d definitely say both ありがとう and 嬉しいです.
In general I think it means “I am grateful and happy that you’re giving me this gift.”
It depends on when you say 嬉しいです though.
Some people say これ、ずっと欲しかった(ほしかった)ものだから、嬉しいです！/”I’m happy because this is the one I’ve always wanted” after they opened the gift.
If they say 嬉しいです as soon as they receive it, I think they just mean they are happy to receive a gift from you.
Protip: don’t second-guess yourself that much. If they say they are 嬉しい after experiencing something that would normally make someone 嬉しい, and if you think they meant it, then there’s no need to ask if there’s a hidden meaning behind it. If you approach Japanese that way, your learning journey will be hell on earth. Japanese is challenging as it is, you don’t need that type of mindset.