私たちは、人々が好きな有名人について読んで、それについて気分を良くすることができるスペースを作りたかったのです.私たちは、人々が有名人についてポジティブな方法でゴシップできる場所を作りたかった.
私たちは、何年もの間、日本のエンターテインメント ニュースを生き、呼吸してきた情熱的なエンターテインメント ニュース ジャンキーの小さなチームです。
私たちは、有名人の最新のゴシップを分析し、日本のポップ カルチャーの最新トレンドを分析することを何よりも愛しています。私たちはエンターテインメントのすべてに夢中になっており、私たちの情熱を世界と共有したいと考えています。当サイトへようこそ！
thank you in japanese, /thank-you-in-japanese,
Video: How to Say Thank You in Japanese in 5 Ways With Version for Formal or Casual Thanks | Rosetta Stone®
私たちは、人々が好きな有名人について読んで、それについて気分を良くすることができるスペースを作りたかったのです.私たちは、人々が有名人についてポジティブな方法でゴシップできる場所を作りたかった.
私たちは、何年もの間、日本のエンターテインメント ニュースを生き、呼吸してきた情熱的なエンターテインメント ニュース ジャンキーの小さなチームです。
thank you in japanese, 2021-03-11, How to Say Thank You in Japanese in 5 Ways With Version for Formal or Casual Thanks | Rosetta Stone®, Learn how to say thanks in Japanese with pronunciations for formal or casual ways to say thanks in Japanese.
https://www.rosettastone.com/languages/basic-japanese/
Because of the cultural significance of courtesy and respect, learning how to say thank you in Japanese is essential. For most settings, you’ll hear Arigatou used which is how to say “thank you” in Japanese. However, if you want to be more polite, you can add gozaimasu on the end of the phrase to confer respect. And for the most formal settings, such as professional functions, you’ll want to use domo arigatou gozaimasu which translates to “thank you very much” in Japanese. Learn other ways to show respect in Japanese on the Rosetta Stone blog.
When you’re in a casual setting, however, you can opt for a shorter version of the Japanese “thank you” which is either domo or azaas. This can be exchanged as a quick thanks between friends and family.
Want to learn more conversational basics in Japanese? Check out additional videos in our How To Say Japanese series.
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Contents
- How to Say Thank You in Japanese
- Japanese Slang for Saying Thank You
- Polite Ways to Say Thank You in Japanese to Superiors and in Business
-
- 10. Thank You Very Much (to Superiors): 恐れ入ります（おそれいります）
- 11. Thank You for Your Hard Work: お疲れ様です（おつかれさまです）
- 12. Thank You for Your Hard Work (to Subordinates): ご苦労様です （ごくろうさまです）
- 13. Thank You (Written): 感謝します（かんしゃします）
- 14. Thank You Kindly (Written): 誠にありがとうございます（まことにありがとうございます）
- 15. I Am Indebted to You: 恐縮です（きょうしゅくです）
- More Ways to Say Thank You: Japanese Dialects!
- Responding to “Thank You” in Japanese
- What Does “Thank You” Really Mean In Japanese?
- Why Are There Different Ways to Say Thank You in Japanese?
- How to Practice Saying Thank You in Japanese
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1. Thank you in Japanese: Arigatou (ありがとう)
Of course, we have our “arigatou”. That’s the most basic way of saying thank you and the phrase you’ll often hear, especially in Japanese shows and anime. “Arigatou” is a casual phrase — much like “thanks” — that’s usually said to family members, friends, partners, and people of the same age or younger.
This phrase is quite flexible, though —you can also use “arigatou” to express thanks to people older than you. There’s one slight change, and that is to switch it to the polite form: arigatou gozaimasu (ありがとうございます). You can also use this form for strangers like restaurant or hotel staff.
Want a step higher to express your deepest appreciation? Go for “domo arigatou gozaimasu” (どもありがとうございます), which roughly translates to “thank you very much”.
2. Thank you in Japanese: Domo (どうも)
For some of the Japanese, an “arigatou” is still too much. Instead, they’ll cut the expression short and just respond with a simple “domo” and it’ll do the trick. You may recognize it from the previous phrase “domo arigatou gozaimasu” — it’s just taking out the “domo” part as a shorter version.
This phrase for saying thank you is extremely casual. It’s an even more casual way to say thank in Japanese than “arigatou”. Because of its extreme light tone, this phrase is often used with people at the same social status level as you or lower — like your friends and younger siblings. It’s also okay to say it to the cashier or restaurant staff.
Avoid using the phrase with your boss or anyone of higher social status than you. It’s rude because you didn’t take the time to thank them in the proper way.
3. Thank you in Japanese: Sumimasen (すみません)
This phrase to say thank you in Japanese is used quite often too. “Sumimasen” is usually associated as an apology or “excuse me” — fair enough, it does carry those meanings as well. However, this phrase doubles as both a sorry and a thank you.
In Japanese culture, it’s more common to apologize instead of just acknowledging that someone has gone through the trouble for you. It’s all part and parcel of the politeness that’s deeply rooted in the culture.
For example, if you drop something and a kind soul behind you picks it up and catches up with you to give you back your stuff, you can use “sumimasen” to acknowledge that they went through that trouble for doing something for you.
What Does Arigatou Mean?
Let’s start by looking at the origin of the Japanese term of thank you, “arigatou” (有り難う).
The word “arigatou” is often seen written in the Japanese alphabet of hiragana (ありがとう), and many of us are probably also familiar with the longer “arigatou gozaimasu” (ありがとうございます), which is a more formal way to thank someone. When separating the Chinese characters called kanji that makes “arigatou,” “ari” (有り) means “to have” and “gatou” (難う) “difficult” (katai; 難い). Together, the phrase translates to “(it is) difficult to have (it, so I’m thankful)”.
The Origins of Arigatou
The concept behind arigatou is believed to have come from Buddhist teachings that one should always be appreciative because everything happens for a reason, and that nothing should be taken for granted. According to written records, however, “arigatou” did not become what it means today until after the Heian period (8-12th century AD). There is also an interesting theory that “arigatou” might have been derived from “obrigado,” the Portuguese word for thank you, given the prominent influence of the Portuguese Catholic missionaries in Japanese history.
4 Ways to Say Thank You in Japanese
The word “arigatou” can be used in different ways depending on the formality of the situation. Starting from the most casual form:
- Doumo (どうも)
- Arigatou (ありがとう)
- Arigatou gozaimasu (ありがとうございます)
- Doumo arigatou gozaimasu (どうもありがとうございます)
The term “doumo” is literally “very,” while “gozaimasu” is the polite form of “to have” (aru; ある). It can be confusing but for the sake of simplicity, remember the longer the expression, the more formal it is.
Doumo
A simple “doumo” as a shortened form of thank you can be used very casually, for instance, when you are exiting a store that you’ve just visited.
Arigatou / Arigatou Gozaimasu
Both “arigatou” and “arigatou gozaimasu” can be used to thank someone doing something for you, for example, to a waitress refilling your water, and “doumo arigatou gozaimasu” to thank someone for a bigger favor or when you have received a gift.
Arigatou / Arigatou Gozaimashita
The past tense, “arigatou gozaimashita” (ありがとうございました), is used when you have received a service or favor, or for something that’s happened already. As with the above, adding “doumo” to the front will emphasize your appreciation further or make it more formal.
Polite Expressions for Business Settings
In business settings, even more polite expressions beyond the basic “arigatou” phrases are used to show thanks to people of higher rank or social levels :
Sumimasen (すみません)
Osore-irimasu (恐れ入ります)
Whilst both of the above look more like apologies, they are basically interpreted as “I’m sorry to trouble you and I thank you for that.” Note that these apologetic phrases will not make much sense by themselves, so you will often hear them combined into something like:
Sumimasen, doumo arigatou gozaimashita.
Osore-irimasu ga, makoto ni* arigatou gozaimasu. (*Makoto ni = sincerely)
Keep in mind the last ones listed above are thank you’s we rarely need to use in daily life unless you are in the customer service industry or in the habit of running into serious trouble! Expressing appreciation honestly is the key point here, rather than mastering big, fancy words. So remember, never mind if an “arigatou” sounds too plain – what matters is showing your gratefulness earnestly! And always remember that a polite bow can show your gratitude even more than words!
How to Say Thank You in Japanese
So… how do you say thank you in Japanese? Well, the most common and standard way to say it is ありがとう (arigatou).
Yes, romanized, it should actually be arigatou with a u instead of arigato, because in Japanese it has a long “oo” sound at the end.
This is a bit on the casual side, though, one that’s better used with your peers. If you want to be more formal, such as thanking a stranger or clerk at a store, you should use the more formal ありがとうございます (arigatou gozaimasu).
Also, if what you’re saying “thank you” for has already happened, you can change it to past tense: ありがとうございました (arigatou gozaimashita).
Saying Thanks with Sumimasen instead of Arigatou
In some cases, it’s more common to use the Japanese phrase すみません (sumimasen), which means “I’m sorry” or “excuse me”.
But when we use it in place of arigatou, you’re actually saying “I’m sorry to have troubled you” (whether you asked for the favor or not).
In Japan, it’s super important to acknowledge someone’s effort or inconvenience on someone else’s behalf. That’s why phrases like お邪魔します (ojama shimasu) and お疲れ様でした (otsukaresama deshita) are everyday phrases.
The first in English means “thanks for having me over” but it translates as “I’m sorry for intruding.” And otsukaresama deshita means “thanks for your hard work” in English, but translates as “you must be tired (from all your hard work)”.
Both phrases, when translated to English, mean “thanks”. But in Japanese, they acknowledge someone’s effort or inconvenience on your behalf.
すみません (sumimasen) is the same way. When someone has done something for you that’s taken up their time, effort, money, or energy, then you can reply with すみません (sumimasen). It’s often used when receiving gifts, for example.
Thank You Very Much in Japanese
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto…
Domo arigato (or in proper romanization, doumo arigatou, with long “oo” sounds) means “thank you very much”. どうもありがとう (doumo arigatou) is more formal than arigatou by itself. But it’s still appropriate to say with friends and family, especially if they did a huge favor for you.
It’s more common to use this phrase in its more formal form: どうもありがとうございます (doumo arigatou gozaimasu).
どうも (doumo) translates as “thanks” because that’s the main use for the word, but it’s an emphasizing word like “very”. So you use this to emphasize how thankful you are.
Basically, you can play around with how you use どうも (doumo), ありがとう (arigatou), and ございます/ました (gozaimasu/mashita) to change up your level of thanks and formality.
You could say どうも (doumo).
Or どうもありがとう (doumo arigatou).
Or ありがとう (arigatou).
Or ありがとうございます (arigatou gozaimasu).
Or どうもありがとうございました (doumo arigatou gozaimashita).
You get the point. There’s plenty of ways to say thank you in Japanese!
There’s one other phrase to mention here: 恐れ入ります (osoreirimasu). This is an extremely formal phrase, and one that’s on the apologetic side like すみません (sumimasen).
You won’t use this phrase often, but you’ll hear it said to you. 恐れ入ります (osoreirimasu) is often used by shop clerks or workers to their customers to thank them.
Thank you: Arigatou（ありがとう）
Taking our first example, arigatou (ありがとう – thank you), this is a common and casual way to express thanks, and it can be made more formal by adding ございます（gozaimasu） to the end.
It can be modified to add different emphasis too, so if you are with friends, or on a business trip, you can add a bit more emotion to it! For example, adding どうも（doumo）, or 本当に（hontonni） to the front of arigatou give it a stronger feeling of being very thankful, while saying 誠に (makotoni) adds a touch of sincerity to the phrase. This is true of the more formal version too, so どうもありがとうございます（doumo arigatou gozaimasu）is good in a business context for expressing that you are really grateful.
How to thank bosses and coworkers
Colleagues
When talking with work colleagues you can use 恐縮です(kyoushuku desu) or 恐れ入ります (osoreirimasu) to express gratitude, but as this also has the meaning of an apology too its usage is quite subtle, its best thought in terms of ‘thank you for your consideration’ or ‘thank you for your hard work/time’.
Colleagues or Customers
When thanking a colleague or customer for something they have done you can use お気遣い痛み入ります (okizukai itamiirimasu) and お気遣い嬉しく存じます (okizukai ureshiku zonjimasu), which are best translated as thank you for your kindness or thoughtfulness.
Superiors
If you are writing an email to senior work colleagues or see a business communication from a company director, etc., then you might come across心から感謝申し上げます (kokoro kara kansha moushiagemasu）which has a mixed meaning of both thanks and appreciation from the bottom of the heart. It isn’t something you would use when speaking as it is very formal, but it is just good to be aware of its meaning if you happen to get emails in Japanese from your boss.
Shop Assistants
In relation to customers you might see, or sometimes hear 感謝の念に尽きません (kansha no nenni tsukimasen) or 感謝の念に堪えません (kansha no nenni taemasen) which gives a real sense of gratitude for doing something, i.e. that the customer has come to your store, that the customer has bought something, etc. This is a way of saying thank you.
Workplace: Emails and Conversation
A common phrase in work emails and letters, and also spoken language in offices, is お世話になりました (osewani narimashita) which has a variety of meanings, one of which is to thank colleagues for ‘looking after you’ – it can be basically used as a way of saying thanks when someone does something for you.
Expressing Your Thanks in Japanese with Proper Phrases
ありがとう in Present, Past and Future Tense
Casual
| Present | ありがとう。 |
| Past | 昨日 / 先週 / この間 はありがとう。 |
| Future | ありがとう。 |
Polite
| Present | ありがとうございます。 |
| Past | 昨日 / 先週 / この間 はありがとうございました。 |
| Future | ありがとうございます。 |
Note:
In Japanese grammar, what determines the past tense is words such as 「昨日 yesterday」, 「先週 last week」 and 「この間 the other day」, rather than 「～た」. For example, if your friend helped you with your homework last Saturday, you can say 「先週はありがとう」. Regarding the future tense, it is usually same as the present tense, but it may be better that you clarify why you say “thank you”. Let’s see the followings.
For something particular, How to Say “Thank You”
Verb + ～くれてありがとう （ございます）
| 誘ってくれてありがとう（お誘い頂きありがとうございます）。 |
| Thank you for asking me out. |
| 手伝ってくれてありがとう （ございます）。 |
| Thank you for helping me. |
| 来てくれてありがとう （ございます）。 |
| Thank you for coming. |
| 話しかけてくれてありがとう （ございます）。 |
| Thank you for talking to me. |
Noun + ありがとう （ございます）
| お心遣ありがとう （ございます）。 |
| Thanks for your consideration. |
| お返事(/返信)ありがとう （ございます）。 |
| Thank you for your reply. |
| 応援ありがとう （ございます）。 |
| Thank you for your cheering. |
| 運転ありがとう （ございます）。 |
| Thank you for your driving. |
| 参加ありがとう （ございます）。 |
| Thank you for your joining. |
How to Say “Thank You” in Business Scenes
| 心より感謝申し上げます。 |
| I thank you from the bottom of my heart. |
| 本当にありがたく思っております。 |
| I really appreciate it. |
| 誠にありがとうございます。 |
| Thank you very much. |
| 先日はお忙しい中ありがとうございました。 |
| Thank you for taking time from your busy schedule the other day. |
| 田中さんのおかげで、成功することができました。 |
| Thanks to you (Mr. Tanaka), we were able to succeed it. |
| 佐藤さんの暖かいお言葉に大変感謝しております。 |
| We really appreciate for your (Mr. Sato) warm comment. |
| 厚くお礼を申し上げます。 |
| I would like to express my gratitude. |
To Friends, ありがとう in Japanese Slang
ありがと。
ありがとね。
あんがと。
あんがとね。
サンキュ。
サンキュね。
あざっす。
あとんす。
Conclusion
ここまで読んでくれてありがとうございました。 Thank you for reading. Expressing your thanks is the beginning of communication. Let’s try to use the above phrases from today!
Recommended Links
Japanese Expressions: Learn Real Japanese from Manga for Free
How to Make a Phone Call in Japanese
Shopping in Japanese, 25 Phrases Travelers Should Know
How to Say “Don’t Worry about It” in Japanese
10 Ways of Saying “I’m late” in Japanese
15 Phrases: How to Say “You’re Welcome” in Japanese
Japanese Greetings: 30 Phrases You Need to Know
Recommended Links
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Say hai domo (hi doh moh) when receiving something. It translates roughly to “thank you” in response to being handed something. It can also just mean thank you.
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About This Article
To say “thank you” in Japanese, use “Domo arigatou” if you’re with friends or co-workers. You can also shorten the expression to “Arigatou” with family and friends. If you’re speaking to a supervisor, teacher, family elder, or someone who has a higher status than you, use the formal phrase, “Arigatou gozaimasu.” Alternatively, use “Domo arigatou gozaimasu” to express gratitude in the most polite and formal way possible. To learn more, including how to say “You’re welcome” in Japanese, scroll down.
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11 Ways to say “Thank you”
Expanding on the various forms of saying thank you in Japanese, let’s unpack both the informal forms and formal forms of giving thanks. To make learning easier, each phrase is accompanied by an audio recording to assist with the pronunciation of each word.
Five informal ways to say “Thank you”
Let’s start with the five informal forms of “Thank you” along with audio recording and short examples for each new vocabulary. It is important to pay attention to the syllables in each word to pronounce each vocabulary as correctly as possible (especially if you plan on ticking Japan off your bucket list).
１. Arigatou (ありがとう)
As discussed above, arigato is the casual way of saying thank you whether in the presence of friends, close family, thanking a stranger, etc. The use of the “Arigato” in this form keeps the conversation laid back.
Arigato is the most generic, most popularly taught phrase in Japanese textbooks. If you pay attention to the pronunciation in the audio note, you will notice that the Japanese pronunciation drags the end into an “oo” sound, and because of this, the Romanized word “Arigato” is often written as “Arigatou” to illustrate the “ou” sound at the end. Both forms however are acceptable.
２. Domo (どうも)
Domo or “Domou” is a very informal form of Arigatou; it is short and sweet and can be used in passing to say thank you. Generally, you can use either Arigatou or Domo in the informal context but “Domo” simply means “very”.
The interesting fact about this is that the combination of “Domo” and “Arigato” gives a whole new meaning to this word. Domo Arigatou (どうもありがとう) means “Thank you very much”. This is a great illustration of how “Domo” can be used to give a whole new meaning to a phrase.
３. Sankyu (サンキュ)
If you’re looking for a word that is the direct English translation, here it is Sankyu (サンキュ) which literally means thank you, informally. This word is not an original Japanese word and is in fact borrowed—it is written in Katakana and not Higarana
４. Azasu (あざす)
Now we touch base on some slang words—words that are used in informal settings, mostly by the younger generation, and are generally exclusively understood by people of the same group such as teenagers. Azasu is the slang for “Thank ya” not thank you and is the slang version of the formal phrase “Arigatou gozaimasu” (ありがとうごeざいます). An important thing to remember Azasu should never be used among elders, teachers, or any person of high power
５. Sumanai (すまない)
Another cool slang word taken from a formal phrase is Sumanai (すまない) which is derived from sumimasen (すみません). Sumanai is mostly used by boys towards girls not because it is a gendered phrase but because of the harsh tone of the word. Generally, it is used among peers.
Six formal ways to say “Thank you”
The formal ways of saying “Thank you” aren’t normally used in everyday life. Some of these phrases are best applied in office or formal settings when addressing elders, teachers, or anyone of greater authority as a sign of respect. Here are some formal ways to say “Thank you”
１. Sumimasen (すみません)
The direct English definition of Sumimasen (すみません) is “I’m sorry” or “I’m sorry to have troubled you”. It is usually used as a consequence of someone doing something for you. You can learn a lot of different ways of how to say sorry in Japanese. One of the core teachings of Japanese culture is the importance of acknowledging someone’s effort or inconvenience on someone else’s behalf. Talking about Japanese culture, one thing you might want to know is that there are cultural tips when you want to say I love you in Japanese.
２. Osoreirimasu (恐れ入ります)
I present to you the holy grail of all formal Japanese phrases: Osoreirimasu (恐れ入ります). It is what I call a “formally formal” phrase i.e., very formal, and is used when expressing deep sorrow or remorse. It would be best to use the words when something impactful has happened and a person wishes to express apologies for the trouble they’ve caused you.
３. Arigatou gozaimasu (ありがとうごeざいます)
When thanking a stranger, elder, or anyone in a high position, you would most likely use “Arigatou gozaimasu” (ありがとうございます). It is a popular and polite way of saying thank you.
４. Domo arigatou gozaimasu (どうもありがとうございます)
As you recall, “Domo” can have different meanings for a phrase depending on what follows after it. Domo means “very” and in this phrase, “Domo arigatou gozaimasu” (どうもありがとうございます) means thank you very much.
“Domo” adds another level of politeness which makes the phrase formal. Just like every other formal word, context is important so if you’re addressing elders remember to respond appropriately.
５. Haisha Moushiagemasu (拝謝申し上げます)
This “Thank you” phrase is best used to show respect towards another person. It can be a parent or older figure.
６. Osore Irimasu (おそれいります)
Many of these formal phrases discusses can be applied to normal settings. It could also be that Osore Irimasu (おそれいります) is a super formal “Thank you” like Osoreirimasu (恐れ入ります). I would recommend using this phrase in a business setting or special occasion.
Here is the compilation of different anime characters saying thank you in Japanese!
Arigatou For Reading!
I would like to leave you with two tips if you’re looking to learn Japanese. The first is to develop the habit of learning the contexts of how phrases are used as a whole and from it drawing inference on what they translate to in your native tongue. As we’ve learned in this article, for example, there are many ways to say “Thank you” but each has its own set of rules for how they are used—so keep this in mind. When you learn some phrases, don’t forget to learn how to say good morning in Japanese and hello in Japanese. Secondly, a great rule of thumb when deciding whether a phrase is formal or not is by looking at the length of the expression. The Longer forms of expression are the most formal. Learning how to write Japanese characters is the first step of learning Japanese!
Let me leave you with this fun fact; Japanese has past and present forms of saying “Thank you”. Crazy, I know! So if you’re thanking someone for something that has happened in the past formally, you’d say “Arigatou gozaimashita” (ありがとう ございました). The present tense formal is “Arigatou gozaimasu” (ありがとうございます).
Now that you’ve learned to say thank you in Japanese, become a professional and learn to speak like a native speaker with AmazingTalker.
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