This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Ali Garbacz, B.A.. Ali earned her B.A. in Linguistics and Asian Languages and Cultures with a focus on East Asia from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2022. She has published articles centering around culture and history for non-profits and has also done news writing for an online news site. Ali now writes as an editor at wikiHow with the hopes of becoming a part in helping to achieve wikiHow’s goal of teaching everyone to do anything. She enjoys the process of researching and learning new things to share with readers and creating content that is both informative and fun.
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In Japanese culture, saying “Thank you” is a very important part of everyday conversations. If you’re studying Japanese or planning on traveling to Japan sometime soon, knowing how to express your gratitude is a must. We’ve prepared a list of all the possible ways you can say “Thank you” along with explanations for when to use each greeting. Mastering these phrases will help you along your language-learning journey and give you even more insight into Japanese culture.
Things You Should Know
- Say arigatou gozaoimasu or domo arigatou gozaimasu in formal situations, such as at work or school, and when talking to people you don’t know.
- Use arigatou or domo to say thanks casually to close friends and family members.
- Say otsukare sama desu to your colleagues at work to thank them for their hard work.
Steps
Community Q&A
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QuestionHow do you pronounce haiku? Hike-you or high-eek? Or something completely different?Community AnswerHaiku is pronounced HIGH-KOO.
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QuestionHow do I say 'nothing' in Japanese?Community AnswerThe easiest way that you can say nothing is "nani mo," meaning literally "nothing".
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QuestionHow do you say Happy Birthday in Japanese?Community AnswerIn Japanese, you say "o tanjobi omedeto" (the "o"s are long), meaning "happy birthday", add a "gozaimasu" at the end to be polite. You could also simply say "omedetoo" (congratulations) or "I congratulate you." It is the same in "Happy New Year" which is "akeshimashite omedeto."
Video
Tips
References
- ↑ https://youtu.be/qkKF-5nWmTU?t=49
- ↑ https://youtu.be/qkKF-5nWmTU?t=94
- ↑ https://itranslate.com/blog/how-to-say-thank-you-in-japanese
- ↑ https://itranslate.com/blog/how-to-say-thank-you-in-japanese
- ↑ https://youtu.be/qkKF-5nWmTU?t=227
- ↑ https://90dayjapanese.com/thank-you-in-japanese/
- ↑ https://youtu.be/qkKF-5nWmTU?t=28
- ↑ https://youtu.be/cgvXG1AyxrE?t=20
- ↑ https://japanesetactics.com/how-to-say-thank-you-in-japanese
- ↑ https://itranslate.com/blog/how-to-say-thank-you-in-japanese
- ↑ https://static.aminer.org/pdf/PDF/000/330/894/sumiwake_structure_in_a_finite_and_heterogeneous_ecosystem.pdf
- ↑ https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=pdxopen
- ↑ https://japanesetactics.com/how-to-say-thank-you-in-japanese
- ↑ https://youtu.be/qkKF-5nWmTU?t=309
- ↑ https://youtu.be/qkKF-5nWmTU?t=335
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.
Reader Success Stories
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"Thank you! Wait a minute, shouldn't I be saying domo arigotou gozaimasu? Anyway, this is way better than Google translate's simple 'Kansha'. I'm self teaching myself Japanese, so this was super helpful! Hopefully I'll see this website later in my studies."..." more