words in [ .. ] are implied or understood



"Good Morning" - Ohayogozaimasu = It is early [you are up]

"Good Day" - Konnichiwa = how is this day? [for you]

"Good Evening" - Konbanwa = how is this evening? [for you]

"Good Bye"(on going) - Ittekimasu = I will go

"Hello"(on return) - Tadaima= just now [I've returned]

Word before a meal - Itadakimasu = I shall partake [of your offerings]

Word after meal - gochisosamade$hita = That was a meal

"Thank You" - Arigatogozaimasu= A very difficult and unusual thing [you have done for me].

I would say that gochisō (御馳走) is more like "a feast" than merely "a meal." It literally means, in Chinese, "(an honored person's) running around busily," suggesting that an important person has gone to the trouble of gathering many different foodstuffs in order to put on a fabulous banquet.

^ yes I was going to use feast but change my mind because I didn't think all readers would understand. We say gochisosama even after eating at McDanolds.

what about ojamashimasu? お邪魔します. Should the kanji of jama be taken literally? or is jama 和語?

^ Ojamashimasu.

[I will] bother you.

You only say this (politely) when you go into somebody's house.

Is is a big deal if I, a gaijin, forget to say it? And I'm not even in Japan so it's not faux pas right?

No, it's not a big deal. Most Japanese don't really care or expect you to speak their language, as long as you're polite enough in general.

I was just pointing out that 'ojamashimasu' is a fixed expression, basically only used when you go into someone's house.