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How to say thank you & youโ€™re welcome in Japanese in 59 ways

The Japanese word for thank you is 'arigato' โ€” isn't it enough to know?

I'm here to write a 1K+ word article on this topic. So yes, there's A LOT you can learn about Japanese expressions of appreciation! You'll discover context-appropriate phrases and the mentality and culture behind them. Interested? (I choose to assume you are.) Cool!

Table of contents


Anatomy of โ€˜arigatoโ€™

The word ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ† (arigatล) is derived from the old adjective 'ๆœ‰ใ‚Š้›ฃใ—' (arigatashi). It means 'rare', therefore 'valuable'. Its adverb form 'ๆœ‰ใ‚Š้›ฃใ' (arigataku) became 'ๆœ‰ใ‚Š้›ฃใ†' (arigatล), which is used to this day.

If you've heard the theory that 'ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†' came from 'obligado', the Portuguese word for 'thank you', it's nothing but a myth.100%.

In this article, you'll see a couple of ways 'ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†' is written in English alphabets. Before it confuses you, I'll clarify the difference.

Arigatล: The bar on the 'o' means an elongated sound. I spell this way in this blog as it represents the natural pronunciation.

Arigato: It's probably the most commonly seen spelling. If you don't elongate the last 'o', it might sound casual, blunt, or cute, depending on how you say it.

Arigatou: A lot of people also spell like this as it corresponds with each hiragana (ใ‚-a, ใ‚Š-ri, ใŒ-ga, ใจ-to, ใ†-u). The 'ou' at the end doesn't really represent the correct pronunciation, but there's no problem writing this way as long as you know the right way to pronounce it.


How to say thank you in Japanese

Just as 'Thank you' is not the only expression of appreciation in English, there are many ways to convey gratitude in Japanese. Ranging from casual phrases to formal ones, situation-specific ones, and even 'thank you in disguise'.

Family are appreciative of their delicious meal.

The basics

Let's start with arigatล and its variations.

EnglishHiraganaKanji + Hiragana or KatakanaRomajiNote
Thank you.ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ€‚Commonly written only in hiraganaArigatล.Casual
ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ”ใ–ใ„ใพใ™ใ€‚Commonly written only in hiraganaArigatล gozaimasu.Polite
ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ”ใ–ใ„ใพใ—ใŸใ€‚Commonly written only in hiraganaArigatล gozaimashita.Polite
Use only when you are thankful for what has already happened.
ใ‚ใ–ใ™ใ€‚/ ใ‚ใ–ใƒผใ™ใ€‚Only written in hiraganaAzasu. / Azฤsu.Slang
Overly shortened โ€˜arigatล gozaimasuโ€™. Mostly used by young folks.
Thanks.Commonly written only in katakanaใ‚ตใƒณใ‚ญใƒฅใƒผใ€‚Sankyลซ.Very casual
English โ€˜thank youโ€™ with Japanese pronunciation
ใฉใ†ใ‚‚ใ€‚Only written in hiraganaDลmo.Polite and informal
Thank you very much.ใปใ‚“ใจใ†ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ€‚ๆœฌๅฝ“ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ€‚Hontล arigatล.Casual
โ€˜Hontลโ€™ may sound more like โ€˜hontoโ€™ without the last โ€˜oโ€™ elongated.
ใปใ‚“ใจใ†ใซใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ”ใ–ใ„ใพใ™ใ€‚ๆœฌๅฝ“ใซใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ”ใ–ใ„ใพใ™ใ€‚Hontล ni arigatล gozaimasu.Polite
ใฉใ†ใ‚‚ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ”ใ–ใ„ใพใ™ใ€‚Commonly written only in hiraganaDลmo arigatล gozaimasu.Polite
Thank you for everything.ใ„ใ‚ใ„ใ‚ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ€‚่‰ฒใ€…ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ€‚Iroiro arigatล.Casual
ใ„ใ‚ใ„ใ‚ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ”ใ–ใ„ใพใ™ใ€‚่‰ฒใ€…ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ”ใ–ใ„ใพใ™ใ€‚Iroiro arigatล gozaimasu.Polite
Thank you for going out of your way.ใ‚ใ–ใ‚ใ–ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ€‚Commonly written only in hiraganaWazawaza arigatล.Casual
ใ‚ใ–ใ‚ใ–ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ”ใ–ใ„ใพใ™ใ€‚Commonly written only in hiraganaWazawaza arigatล gozaimasu.Polite
Iโ€™m grateful to you.ใ‹ใ‚“ใ—ใ‚ƒใ™ใ‚‹ใ‚ˆใ€‚ๆ„Ÿ่ฌใ™ใ‚‹ใ‚ˆใ€‚Kansha suru yo.Casual
The verb โ€˜ๆ„Ÿ่ฌใ™ใ‚‹โ€™ means โ€˜appreciateโ€™, and 'the noun 'ๆ„Ÿ่ฌโ€™ means โ€˜gratitudeโ€™.
ใ‹ใ‚“ใ—ใ‚ƒใ—ใพใ™ใ€‚ๆ„Ÿ่ฌใ—ใพใ™ใ€‚Kansha shimasu.Polite
I couldnโ€™t thank you more.ใ‹ใ‚“ใ—ใ‚ƒใ—ใฆใ‚‚ใ—ใใ‚Œใชใ„ใ‚ˆใ€‚ๆ„Ÿ่ฌใ—ใฆใ‚‚ใ—ใใ‚Œใชใ„ใ‚ˆใ€‚Kansha shite mo shikirenai yo.Casual
ใ‹ใ‚“ใ—ใ‚ƒใ—ใฆใ‚‚ใ—ใใ‚Œใพใ›ใ‚“ใ€‚ๆ„Ÿ่ฌใ—ใฆใ‚‚ใ—ใใ‚Œใพใ›ใ‚“ใ€‚Kansha shite mo shikiremasen.Polite


In formal circumstances

It's time for Business Japanese โ€” in case you read above as 'Informal'. Use these phrases only towards people with higher status than you. (Not a fan of hierarchy? Me neither. *fist bump of solidarity*)

EnglishHiraganaKanji + HiraganaRomajiNote
I am grateful.ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใŸใใžใ‚“ใ˜ใพใ™ใ€‚ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใŸใๅญ˜ใ˜ใพใ™ใ€‚Arigataku zonji masu.

I appreciate it.ใ‹ใ‚“ใ—ใ‚ƒใ„ใŸใ—ใพใ™ใ€‚ๆ„Ÿ่ฌใ„ใŸใ—ใพใ™ใ€‚Kansha itashimasu.

ใ‹ใ‚“ใ—ใ‚ƒใ‚‚ใ†ใ—ใ‚ใ’ใพใ™ใ€‚ๆ„Ÿ่ฌ็”ณใ—ไธŠใ’ใพใ™ใ€‚Kansha moushiage masu.

Thank you very much.ใพใ“ใจใซใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ”ใ–ใ„ใพใ™ใ€‚่ช ใซใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ”ใ–ใ„ใพใ™ใ€‚Makoto ni arigatล gozaimasu.

I canโ€™t find a word to thank you.ใ‹ใ‚“ใ—ใ‚ƒใฎใ“ใจใฐใ‚‚ใ‚ใ‚Šใพใ›ใ‚“ใ€‚ๆ„Ÿ่ฌใฎ่จ€่‘‰ใ‚‚ใ‚ใ‚Šใพใ›ใ‚“ใ€‚Kansha no kotoba mo arimasen.

Iโ€™m awed [by what you said/did for me].ใŠใใ‚Œใ„ใ‚Šใพใ™ใ€‚ๆใ‚Œๅ…ฅใ‚Šใพใ™ใ€‚Osoreirimasu.

ใใ‚‡ใ†ใ—ใ‚…ใใงใ™ใ€‚ๆ็ธฎใงใ™ใ€‚Kyลshuku desu.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude.ใ‚ใคใใŠใ‚Œใ„ใ‚’ใ‚‚ใ†ใ—ใ‚ใ’ใพใ™ใ€‚ๅŽšใใŠ็คผใ‚’็”ณใ—ไธŠใ’ใพใ™ใ€‚Atsuku orei o mลshiage masu.โ€˜ใŠ็คผโ€™ is gratitude expressed in the form of words, objects, or actions.
I would like to express my cordial gratitude.ใ“ใ“ใ‚ใ‚ˆใ‚ŠใŠใ‚Œใ„ใ‚’ใ‚‚ใ†ใ—ใ‚ใ’ใพใ™ใ€‚ๅฟƒใ‚ˆใ‚ŠใŠ็คผใ‚’็”ณใ—ไธŠใ’ใพใ™ใ€‚Kokoro yori orei o mลshiage masu.


Thank you, but no thank you

Note: these phrases are often paired with a thank-you expression.

EnglishHiraganaKanji + HiraganaRomajiNote
No, itโ€™s OK.ใ†ใ†ใ‚“ใ€ใ ใ„ใ˜ใ‚‡ใ†ใถใ€‚ใ†ใ†ใ‚“ใ€ๅคงไธˆๅคซใ€‚ลชn, daijลbu.Casual
ใ„ใˆใ€ใ ใ„ใ˜ใ‚‡ใ†ใถใงใ™ใ€‚ใ„ใˆใ€ๅคงไธˆๅคซใงใ™ใ€‚Ie, daijลbu desu.Polite
No, thank you.ใ„ใ‚„ใ€ใ„ใ„ใ€‚Commonly written only in hiraganaIya, ฤซ.Casual
ใ„ใˆใ€ใ„ใ„ใงใ™ใ€‚Commonly written only in hiraganaIe, ฤซ desu.Polite
ใ„ใˆใ€ใ‘ใฃใ“ใ†ใงใ™ใ€‚ใ„ใˆใ€็ตๆง‹ใงใ™ใ€‚Ie, kekkล desu.Polite
No, please donโ€™t mind me. / No, I donโ€™t want to put you out.ใ„ใˆใ€ใŠใใฅใ‹ใ„ใชใใ€‚ใ„ใˆใ€ใŠๆฐ—้ฃใ„ใชใใ€‚Ie, okizukai naku.Polite
Iโ€™ll pass.ใˆใ‚“ใ‚Šใ‚‡ใ—ใจใใ€‚้ ๆ…ฎใ—ใจใใ€‚Enryo shitoku.Casual
ใˆใ‚“ใ‚Šใ‚‡ใ—ใฆใŠใใพใ™ใ€‚้ ๆ…ฎใ—ใฆใŠใใพใ™ใ€‚Enryo shite okimasu.Polite


Appreciate without saying arigatล

Japanese has a wide range of ways to express appreciation. Some are specific to certain situations, and some may not sound grateful. Welcome to the rich and bewildering world of the Japanese style of gratitude.

EnglishHiraganaKanji + HiraganaRomajiNote
Iโ€™m sorry.ใ™ใพใ‚“ใ€‚Only written in hiraganaSuman.Very casual
ใ™ใ„ใพใ›ใ‚“ใ€‚Only written in hiraganaSuimasen.Polite and informal
ใ™ใฟใพใ›ใ‚“ใ€‚Only written in hiraganaSumimasen.Polite
I owe you.ใŠใ‚“ใซใใ‚‹ใ‚ˆใ€‚ๆฉใซ็€ใ‚‹ใ‚ˆใ€‚On ni kiru yo.Casual
ใŠใ‚“ใซใใพใ™ใ€‚ๆฉใซ็€ใพใ™ใ€‚On ni kimasu.Polite
You helped me.ใŸใ™ใ‹ใฃใŸใ‚ˆใ€‚ๅŠฉใ‹ใฃใŸใ‚ˆใ€‚Tasukatta yo.Casual
ใŸใ™ใ‹ใ‚Šใพใ—ใŸใ€‚ๅŠฉใ‹ใ‚Šใพใ—ใŸใ€‚Tasukarimashita.Polite
I appreciate your support.ใŠใ›ใ‚ใซใชใ‚Šใพใ—ใŸใ€‚ใŠไธ–่ฉฑใซใชใ‚Šใพใ—ใŸใ€‚Osewa ni narimashita.Polite
Only for the support youโ€™ve already received.
I appreciate your hard work.ใ”ใใ‚ใ†ใ•ใ‚“ใ€‚ใ”่‹ฆๅŠดใ•ใ‚“ใ€‚Gokurล san.Casual
Can be used as either present or past tense.
ใ”ใใ‚ใ†ใ•ใพใงใ™ใ€‚ใ”่‹ฆๅŠดๆง˜ใงใ™ใ€‚Gokurล sama desu.Polite
Present tense
Can be used only towards someone with lower status than you.
ใ”ใใ‚ใ†ใ•ใพใงใ—ใŸใ€‚ใ”่‹ฆๅŠดๆง˜ใงใ—ใŸใ€‚Gokurล sama deshita.Polite
Past tense
Can be used only towards someone with lower status than you.
Thank you for the meal.ใ”ใกใใ†ใ•ใพใ€‚Commonly written only in hiraganaGochisล sama.Casual
โ€˜Gochisลโ€™ means โ€˜feastโ€™. Say this when youโ€™ve finished the meal.
ใ”ใกใใ†ใ•ใพใงใ—ใŸใ€‚ใ”้ฆณ่ตฐๆง˜ใงใ—ใŸใ€‚Gochisล sama deshita.Polite


Cultural considerations

"Hey, I thought this blog post was about how to say thank you in Japanese. Why are there phrases for โ€˜I'm sorryโ€™?"

I love you for spotting that.

We're now looking into the unique mentality behind it and then the body language.

Woman saying thank you in Japanese.

Why apologize?

Let's take 'ใ™ใฟใพใ›ใ‚“' (sumimasen). Essentially, it's a word for an apology. But outside the private setting, you may hear it more often than 'ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†' when you expect appreciation. As you saw above, there are more thank-you expressions in the form of apology. In fact, some Japanese native speakers may say "I'm sorry" in English when they actually mean "Thank you". What do they apologize for?

There's a sense of obligation or guilt behind it. "I was supposed to do it myself." "You had to make an effort for me." "Your kind offer is too good for me." We were taught to be self-sufficient and not to bother others. The majority of the Japanese people have a particularly strong sense of it. (Ever wondered why they're famous for being polite?) That's the reason the Japanese use expressions of apology to show gratitude.

Personally, I prefer using straightforward expressions of gratitude in any language. Suppose words hold temperature, 'thank you' or 'ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†' would be warmer than 'I'm sorry' or 'ใ™ใฟใพใ›ใ‚“' โ€” don't you think?

What about the gesture?

I've seen many times my non-Japanese pals say, "ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ”ใ–ใ„ใพใ™๏ผ" while bowing. It's okay as long as it's not directed towards me or their other friends.

Bowing is a polite gesture โ€”check my 'How to say farewell & goodbye in Japanese in 35 authentic ways' article for more explanationโ€” and an appropriate way to show your gratitude with courtesy and respect.

Another thing I've seen is people saying "ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ”ใ–ใ„ใพใ™๏ผ" while bowing with their palms put together in front of their chest. (They mightโ€™ve got it from some martial arts ritual.) I had to give it a good think on this.

This gesture called ๅˆๆŽŒ (ใŒใฃใ—ใ‚‡ใ† - gasshล) comes from Buddhism and is used for greeting in other countries โ€” but not commonly so in Japan. There are occasions the Japanese still do ๅˆๆŽŒ today, such as when we request ("Pretty please!"), apologize, or before and after meals.

For 'no, thank you', people often quickly or subtly wave their hand(s) in front of their chest. And/Or they may shake their head, too.

I highly recommend smiling when you say thank you. It helps convey your gratitude more effectively. It possibly brightens someone's day.

Saying thank you with a smile, helps convey your gratitude more effectively.


Youโ€™re welcome in Japanese

I would say the Japanese are generally not well-trained when it comes to receiving compliments, praise, or appreciation. (I was trained outside the country. Send some my way!) So, how do they respond to gratitude? Here are some examples.

EnglishHiraganaKanji + HiraganaRomajiNote
You are welcome.ใฉใ†ใ„ใŸใ—ใพใ—ใฆใ€‚Only written in hiraganaDล itashimashite.Polite
Best not to use it toward someone with a higher status than you.
No (itโ€™s nothing).ใ„ใ„ใˆ / ใ„ใˆใ„ใˆใ€‚Only written in hiraganaIฬ„e / Ieie.Polite and informal
Thank YOU.ใ“ใกใ‚‰ใ“ใใ€‚Only written in hiraganaKochira koso.Polite and informal
ใ“ใกใ‚‰ใ“ใใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†ใ”ใ–ใ„ใพใ™ใ€‚Commonly written only in hiraganaKochira koso arigatล gozaimasu.Polite
Never mind.ใใซใ—ใชใ„ใงใ€‚ๆฐ—ใซใ—ใชใ„ใงใ€‚Ki ni shinaide.Casual
ใŠใใซใชใ•ใ‚‰ใšใ€‚ใŠๆฐ—ใซใชใ•ใ‚‰ใšใ€‚Oki ni nasarazu.Polite
Not at all.ใจใ‚“ใงใ‚‚ใชใ„ใงใ™ใ€‚Only written in hiraganaTondemonai desu.Polite
Iโ€™m glad you like it.ใใซใ„ใฃใฆใ‚‚ใ‚‰ใˆใฆใ‚ˆใ‹ใฃใŸใ€‚ๆฐ—ใซๅ…ฅใฃใฆใ‚‚ใ‚‰ใˆใฆใ‚ˆใ‹ใฃใŸใ€‚Ki ni itte moraete yokatta.Casual
ใใซใ„ใฃใฆใ‚‚ใ‚‰ใˆใฆใ‚ˆใ‹ใฃใŸใงใ™ใ€‚ๆฐ—ใซๅ…ฅใฃใฆใ‚‚ใ‚‰ใˆใฆใ‚ˆใ‹ใฃใŸใงใ™ใ€‚Ki ni itte moraete yokatta desu.Polite
I am glad I could help.ใŠใ‚„ใใซใŸใฆใฆใ†ใ‚Œใ—ใ„ใงใ™ใ€‚ใŠๅฝนใซ็ซ‹ใฆใฆๅฌ‰ใ—ใ„ใงใ™ใ€‚Oyaku ni tatete ureshฤซ desu.Polite
I am honored I could help.ใŠใ‚„ใใซใŸใฆใฆใ“ใ†ใˆใ„ใงใ™ใ€‚ใŠๅฝนใซ็ซ‹ใฆใฆๅ…‰ๆ „ใงใ™ใ€‚Oyaku ni tatete kลei desu.Formal

'ใฉใ†ใ„ใŸใ—ใพใ—ใฆ' (dล itashimashite) is one of the textbook answers that native speakers don't use much. Basically, it means 'I've done nothing, please never mind.' While this phrase is still appropriate to use in response to "Thank you", it should NOT be used when addressing someone with a higher status than you.

Other than that, Japanese people might just smile, nod, or shake their heads at the words of gratitude. Or they may use a variation of 'yes' or 'no' for 'you're welcome'. Some Japanese guy friends of mine say โ€˜ใŠใ†โ€™ (ou) which means 'yes'. My late maternal grandparents would scrunch their faces, shake their heads, and make sounds that most likely represented 'no'. (I miss them all dearly.)


Japanese thank you songs

One thing I noticed while checking out some thank you songs; there are countless of them with lyrics like โ€œI couldnโ€™t say [thank you] for a long timeโ€ or โ€œI feel a bit embarrassed to say [thank you]โ€. Those songs are addressed to people close to the protagonists, and yes, the Japanese people seem to feel awkward to say serious thank you in private relationships. (I don't remember if/when my dad properly said thank you to me... *gasp*)

Hint: to find the song lyrics, type in the original song title, artist name, and 'ๆญŒ่ฉž' (kashi - lyrics) in the search box.


Yonde kurete arigatล!

I truly hope you'll have countless opportunities to say thank you (very much) in Japanese. Because it'd mean you're supported, cared for, and blessed. At this point, I have no clue what you're thinking or feeling about this article. Still, I'm grateful that you took the time to read all the way down to the bottom. ใ“ใฎ่จ˜ไบ‹ใ‚’่ชญใ‚“ใงใใ‚Œใฆใ€ใ‚ใ‚ŠใŒใจใ†๏ผ(Kono kiji o yonde kurete arigatล! - Thank you for reading this article!)

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