While also, at the same time: 〜かたがた
名詞（する動詞）+ かたがた
Politeness noun + かたがた = “while also”: one step (a visit, a letter) serves two purposes. A very polite, epistolary register.
In short
X かたがた Y: a single step (a visit, a letter) serves both purpose X and action Y. X is almost always a politeness noun: お礼, ご挨拶, ご報告, お見舞い, おわび. Y is generally 伺う, 訪ねる, ご連絡する. Very polite register: letters, business formulas.
- 近いうちに、お礼かたがたお伺いいたします。ちかいうちに、おれいかたがたおうかがいいたします。I'll call on you shortly, in part to thank you.
- 転勤のご挨拶かたがた、近況をご報告申し上げます。てんきんのごあいさつかたがた、きんきょうをごほうこくもうしあげます。I'm writing to announce my transfer and to let you know how I'm getting on.
- 先日はお見舞いかたがた、先生のお宅を訪ねた。せんじつはおみまいかたがた、せんせいのおたくをたずねた。The other day I visited my teacher's home, partly to see how he was.
The basics
かたがた means “at the same time, both”. One step, two intentions: you come to thank and to pay your respects, you write to announce and to give news. The first term is the “official”, polite purpose of the step — in English it often comes out as “partly to…”, “and at the same time…”.
I'll call on you, in part to thank you.
- noun
- grammatical form
- verb
- お礼かたがたお伺いいたします。おれいかたがたおうかがいいたします。I'll call on you, in part to thank you.
- 先日のおわびかたがた、改めてご説明に参りました。せんじつのおわびかたがた、あらためてごせつめいにまいりました。I've come to apologise for the other day and to explain things again.
How to form it
かたがた attaches to a noun, without の. The list of nouns is short and highly codified.
| Noun | Construction | Use |
|---|---|---|
| お礼 | お礼かたがた | thanking while you're at it |
| ご挨拶 | ご挨拶かたがた | paying respects, introducing oneself |
| ご報告 | ご報告かたがた | reporting |
| お見舞い | お見舞いかたがた | visiting someone who's ill |
| 散歩 | 散歩かたがた | rare, a little old-fashioned |
- ご挨拶かたがた、新しい担当者をご紹介いたします。ごあいさつかたがた、あたらしいたんとうしゃをごしょうかいいたします。Allow me to greet you and introduce our new representative.
The language of letters
かたがた is typical of correspondence and business formulas, alongside humble keigo (伺う, 申し上げる, 存じます). It's often found at the end of a letter: まずは略儀ながら書中にてお礼かたがたご挨拶申し上げます.
- まずは略儀ながら、書中にてお礼かたがたご挨拶申し上げます。まずはりゃくぎながら、しょちゅうにておれいかたがたごあいさつもうしあげます。Please accept these few lines, brief as they are, as my thanks and greetings.
かたがた, がてら, を兼ねて, ついでに
がてら is the everyday version, for outings in daily life (散歩がてら). を兼ねて (“doubling as”) is neutral and fits anywhere. ついでに (N3) says “while you're at it”, with no solemnity.
| Form | Register | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜かたがた | very polite, letters | お礼かたがた伺う |
| 〜がてら | everyday | 散歩がてら買い物する |
| 〜を兼ねて | neutral | 勉強を兼ねて旅行する |
| 〜ついでに | everyday, casual | 買い物のついでに寄る |
- 語学の勉強を兼ねて、海外ドラマを見ている。ごがくのべんきょうをかねて、かいがいドラマをみている。I watch foreign dramas, which also helps me with languages.
Common mistakes
- Using it with any noun: かたがた is limited to a few politeness nouns (お礼, ご挨拶, ご報告, お見舞い…).
- Using it in conversation between friends: for an ordinary outing, you say がてら or ついでに.
- Confusing it with かたわら, which is about two activities carried on in parallel over time.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N1 point is on the Nishi-Kyūshū Line (Trade and the economy) of the Shinkansen.