What is the difference between:

  1. 歓迎しましょう (Kangei shimashou)

  2. 歓迎します (Kangei shimasu)

  3. ようこそ (Yōkoso)

They all mean "welcome" but in which occasions should we use which more
appropriately. Thank you!
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-13T16:29:57.080
88904
2021-08-14T06:18:05.170
4473
question
meaning word-choice usage etymology word-usage
歓迎しましょう vs 歓迎します vs ようこそ
1. 歓迎しましょう is literally _Let's welcome_. If you are with a friend A, and read an email that another friend B is coming to Japan next week, then you say to A "(Bを)歓迎しましょう".
  2. 歓迎します is _I (will) welcome_. This is usually used with explicit objects and sounds somewhat formal (so common in writing). You can write to a guest あなたを歓迎します. The objects does not have to be animate: 質問を歓迎します _I welcome questions_.
  3. ようこそ is the only option if you want a phrase to put in a banner (I mean a large sheet of cloth you hold e.g. at the gate of airport). It is also the most appropriate phrase to say to a guest who just arrived.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-13T21:44:47.163
88907
2021-08-13T21:44:47.163
45489
88904
answer
ようこそ is not a verb but a greeting meaning "Welcome!" As a word said to a
**visitor** , ようこそ is by far the most common among the three. "Welcome to Las
Vegas" is almost always ラスベガスへようこそ or ラスベガスにようこそ. 歓迎します is correct if you want
to speak snobbishly like an aristocrat, but it sounds unnatural in most cases.

歓迎します is a verb, and is used mainly outside a context of welcoming a visitor.
For example, "We welcome constructive comments" is 建設的な意見を歓迎します. You cannot
use ようこそ in a case like this.

歓迎しましょう is the [volitional form](https://www.tofugu.com/japanese-grammar/verb-
volitional-form-you/) of 歓迎します. Roughly speaking, this ～しょう adds the nuance of
"Let us" or "Let me" in English. This form is typically used when you've just
made up your mind to welcome someone, or when you somehow need to emphasize
your decision to welcome someone, or when you want to convince others to
welcome someone else.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-08-14T06:18:05.170
88913
2021-08-14T06:18:05.170
5010
88904
answer