As far as I know, おはいりください might be used to invite someone in when they are
visiting your home. I was wondering if this would be used by friends who have
visited each other's houses a few times before. Also, would the guest reply
しつれいします, おじゃまします, or ありがとう, or is there some other more casual way to say
this?
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2017-03-20T16:58:32.057
44679
2017-03-20T23:23:23.590
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question
word-choice politeness formality
Casual way to enter a home?
いらっしゃい and おじゃまします are the most common and important phrases for this scene. I
myself always say おじゃまします when I enter friends' houses and いらっしゃい when I
invite friends. While as a host you might have more freedom than always saying
いらっしゃい, the level of politeness that おじゃまします, as a guest, conveys is almost
always expected even between friends in my opinion.

Here is a typical conversation:

Guest: こんにちは  
Host: いらっしゃい  
(short conversation at [Genkan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genkan)).  
Host: さあ，あがって (or どうぞどうぞ)  
(put off shoes)  
Guest: おじゃまします (with the first step to the main part of the house)

おはいりください may perhaps be used after いらっしゃい but どうぞおあがりください, あがってください or あがって
sound more natural than おはいりください. This is probably because the main part of a
traditional Japanese house is higher than genkan and so the first step is
stepping _up_.

おじゃまします is like asking for permission: "I'm just about being in your private
area!"

Another good phrase to remember is おじゃましてます, which is like "I'm already in
your private area!" Imagine a situation in which you are already at a friend's
home, enjoying the lunch with him/her and his/her father has just come home.
You might want to say おじゃましてます instead of おじゃまします
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-03-20T23:23:23.590
44694
2017-03-20T23:23:23.590
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44679
answer