Knowing just one way to say “thank you” in Japanese isn’t enough for every situation. Manners are highly valued in Japanese culture, and part of having good manners is making sure to express your gratitude.
Some ways to say “thank you” are more formal than others. Even among the many ways to express gratitude in Japanese, each expression can have multiple variations due to verb conjugations or levels of formality. In this guide, discover how and when to use a range of expressions that will make you the very image of a well-mannered person in Japan.
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Ways to say ‘thank you’ in Japanese with nuance
While Japanese has one common expression that translates to “thank you,” you’ll find several others that are more specific (even if we would translate them as a simple “thank you” in English). Use this chart of ways to say “thank you” in Japanese to find the exact nuance you want to express.
| Japanese | Romanization | English |
| ありがとう | arigatō | Thanks. |
| どうも | dōmo | Thanks. (casual) |
| どうもありがとう | dōmo arigatō | Thanks a lot. |
| ありがとうございます | arigatō gozaimasu | Thank you (for something that is currently happening). (polite) |
| ありがとうございました | arigatō gozaimashita | Thank you (for something that has already happened). (polite) |
| どうもありがとうございます | dōmo arigatō gozaimasu | Thank you very much (for something that is currently happening). (polite) |
| どうもありがとうございました | dōmo arigatō gozaimashita | Thank you very much (for something that has already happened). (polite) |
| 感謝します | kansha shimasu | I am grateful. |
| 心から感謝します | kokoro kara kansha shimasu | I am truly grateful. |
| 助かる | tasukaru | Thanks, I appreciate it. (casual) |
| 助かります | tasukarimasu | Thank you, I appreciate it. (polite) |
| お世話になります | osewa ni narimasu | Thank you for taking care of me. |
| よろしく | yoroshiku | Thanks in advance. (casual) |
| よろしくお願いします | yoroshiku onegai shimasu | Thank you in advance. (polite) |
| お疲れ | otsukare | Thanks for your hard work. (casual) |
| お疲れ様です | otsukare sama desu | Thank you for your hard work. (polite) |
| お待たせしました | omatase shimashita | Thank you for waiting. |
| 手伝ってくれてありがとう | tetsudatte kurete arigatō | Thanks for helping. |
| ～てくれてありがとう | ~te kurete arigatō | Thanks for [verb]. |
| ～てくださってありがとうございます | ~te kudasatte arigatō gozaimasu | Thank you very much for [verb]. |
| おおきに | ōkini | Thanks. (regional dialect) |
| サンキュー | sankyū | Thank you. (slang) |
| 結構です | kekkō desu | No, thank you. |
Present tense vs. past tense ways to say ‘thank you’
Like Japanese greetings, many Japanese expressions for “thank you” have something in common: They use Japanese verb conjugations. This is partially to differentiate between casual and polite forms, but it can also subtly indicate what point in time you are referring to when showing your gratitude. Ultimately, the meaning and situational usage of the expression is the same.
For example, arigatō gozaimasu ends in the affirmative non-past verb conjugation, so the action the speaker is thanking the listener for either happened in the very recent past, is happening in the current moment, or will happen in the future.
- Ikura desu ka.（いくらですか。）= How much does it cost?
- Nijūgo doru desu.（二十五ドルです。）= It costs twenty-five dollars.
- Arigatō gozaimasu.（ありがとうございます。）= Thank you.
Likewise, if you use the affirmative past verb conjugation of tasukaru (which literally means “to save”), you could express your gratitude to someone who did you a big favor the day before.
- Taihen tasukarimashita!（大変助かりました！）= You were a huge help, thank you!
Because so many of these expressions use verb conjugations, they tend to go at the end of a sentence in Japanese word order, as verbs typically do.
When to use the different forms of ‘thank you’
With so many ways to say “thank you,” how do you pick the right one? These overviews of each expression will give you the knowledge you need to choose the appropriate expression for the social situation.
Arigatō gozaimasu (thank you)
The most useful and universal Japanese way to say “thank you” is arigatō gozaimasu, and it’s probably one of the first phrases you’ll come across when you learn Japanese. Arigatō is the casual version, while adding gozaimasu makes it more polite or formal.
You can use this expression in nearly any situation where you want to thank somebody, such as when you ask someone for the time:
- Sumimasen. Ima nanji desu ka.（すみません。今何時ですか。）= Excuse me. What time is it?
- Goji jūgofun desu.（五時十五分です。）= It is five fifteen.
- Arigatō gozaimasu.（ありがとうございます。）= Thank you.
The only tricky thing to remember about arigatō is how many slightly different ways you can say it. Have you ever heard the ‘80s song Mr. Roboto by Styx? It opens with a similar way to say “thank you”: dōmo arigatō. Dōmo is a Japanese adverb that acts as an amplifier like “quite” or “really.” However, it can also be used alone as an abbreviated version of dōmo arigatō!
You can even add gozaimasu to the end. The difference between these variations of arigatō is slight, but all express the same level and type of gratitude. In descending order of politeness (from polite to casual), they would look like this:
- dōmo arigatō gozaimasu = Thank you very much
- arigatō gozaimasu = Thank you
- dōmo arigatō = Thanks a lot
- arigatō = Thanks
- dōmo = Thanks
Kansha shimasu (I am grateful)
Sometimes, a simple “thank you” just isn’t enough. For those situations, you can use the more heartfelt kansha shimasu, which means “I am grateful” or “I appreciate it.” Compared to the standard arigatō, kansha shimasu (or its more casual kansha suru) is a sincere way to thank someone.
- Kokoro kara kansha shimasu.（心から感謝します。）= I am truly grateful. (Literally: I am grateful from the heart.)
- Kokoro kara kansha suru.（心から感謝する。）= I’m truly grateful. (Literally: I’m grateful from the heart.)
Tasukarimasu (thank you, I appreciate it)
Have you ever felt saved because someone offered to help? That’s the perfect time to use tasukarimasu to say “thank you.” Using this expression—or its casual form, tasukaru—is well-suited for situations where you were under some kind of stress and the actions of another person alleviated that stress. You can even combine it with arigatō to express your gratitude twice.
- Tsukareteru mitai ne. Mizu o motte kuru.（疲れてるみたいね。水を持ってくる。）= You look tired. I’ll get you some water.
- Tasukaru, arigatō!（助かる、ありがとう！）= I’d appreciate that, thank you!
Osewa ni narimasu (thank you for taking care of me)
A somewhat unique Japanese expression, osewa ni narimasu is a way to thank someone for the special care they’ve given you. In a business context, it’s often used in emails or phone calls to convey gratitude for the continuation of the business relationship. Think of it as a similar expression to “It’s a pleasure doing business with you.”
Outside of the workplace, osewa ni narimasu is generally reserved for thanking someone for housing you or someone you normally take care of (like a child). For example, if you ever stay with a Japanese host family (omiyage in hand), you could say:
- Isshukan, hōmusutei de osewa ni narimasu.（一週間、ホームステイでお世話になります。）= Thank you for taking care of me this week for my homestay.
Yoroshiku onegai shimasu (thank you in advance)
Yoroshiku onegai shimasu is one of the most essential Japanese phrases to have on hand for both casual and formal situations. It can mean several things depending on the situation, including:
- Thank you in advance.
- Thank you for your cooperation.
- Nice to meet you.
- Best regards.
- I’m looking forward to working with/getting to know you.
- Please do so.
- I’m counting on you.
Consider a situation where you’re working with other people, either on a school project or something at work. If you assign a task to one of your team members, you would say yoroshiku onegai shimasu (or just yoroshiku if you’re being casual). The meaning would be twofold: It’s a statement that you’re entrusting the task to them, and that you’re thanking them for taking care of the task in advance.
Otsukare sama desu (thank you for your hard work)
Most suited to the workplace, otsukare sama desu is a standard expression thanking someone for putting in hard work. The thing to remember is that—like yoroshiku onegai shimasu—it’s not necessarily a direct way of saying “thank you.” It can be translated as any one of the following phrases:
- Thank you for your hard work.
- Have a nice evening.
- See you tomorrow.
- Good job.
- Nice working with you.
You have three main variations that you can use:
- otsukare (お疲れ): somewhat casual, reserved for peers
- otsukare sama (お疲れ様) or otsukare sama desu (お疲れ様です): standard and polite, used for work that is ongoing or will be finished shortly
- otsukare sama deshita (お疲れ様でした): polite, used for work that has been completed
Omatase shimashita (thank you for waiting)
If you’ve ever been late to something and caused people to wait on you, you’ve probably wavered between apologizing for inconveniencing them and thanking them for their patience. This Japanese expression mixes the two together into one phrase.
- Omatase shimashita.（お待たせしました。）= Thank you for waiting. (Alternatively: I’m sorry for making you wait.)
Grammatically speaking, this expression is the causative form of the honorific word for “to wait.” That means it would simply be the statement, “I have made you wait,” literally translated.
Tetsudatte kurete arigatō (thanks for helping)
If you want to thank someone for performing a specific action, you can combine arigatō with the te-form Japanese verb conjugation of the action and the te-form of the verb kureru (くれる). Kureru means “to receive” if the speaker is the one on the receiving end. That makes the entire expression akin to, “Thank you for doing [action] for me.”
The formula to make the expression looks like this:
- [verb in te-form] + kurete + arigatō（[verb in te-form]＋くれて＋ありがとう）
A common thing to thank someone for is for helping you out in some way, which makes this example a solid phrase to keep in your back pocket:
- Tetsudatte kurete arigatou.（手伝ってくれてありがとう。）= Thanks for helping me.
To make the expression formal, you can change the verb kureru to its honorific version kudasaru and add gozaimasu to the end, like so:
- [verb in te-form] + kudasatte + arigatō gozaimasu（[verb in te-form]＋くださって＋ありがとうございます）
You would use this level of formality when talking to someone above you socially, like your boss.
- Tetsudatte kudasatte arigatō gozaimasu.（手伝ってくださってありがとうございます。）= Thank you very much for helping me.
Ōkini (thanks)
One of the most famous Japanese dialects is called Kansai-ben (関西弁), and ōkini is the word for “thank you.” You’ll hear it most often in casual customer-business situations in Western Japan (primarily around Osaka or Kyoto), such as when a shopkeeper thanks someone for stopping in.
- Ōkini! Mata okoshiyasu.（おおきに！またお越しやす。）= Thank you! Come again.
Did you notice the elongated “ō” sound at the front of the word? Words that start with long vowels are unusual in Japanese pronunciation. The proper way to pronounce this word is OH-kee-nee, rather than emphasis on the ki or ni.
Sankyū (thank you)
A super casual way to say “thank you” among friends, sankyū is a Japanese loanword of the English “thank you.” It’s written in katakana due to its foreign origins.
- A, chiketto katte kuretan da. Sankyū!（あっ、チケット買ってくれたんだ。サンキュー！）= Oh, you bought the tickets. Thanks!
Are you wondering why a Japanese person—who may or may not speak English—would use English to express thanks? Think of it like when native English speakers say “thank you” in different languages, like gracias in Spanish or merci in French, instead of in English. Foreign languages are fun to use, even if you only know a few words!
How to say ‘no, thank you’ politely
It is culturally important to know how to decline someone or something politely in Japanese, as a less direct approach is preferred.
Kekkō desu (no, thank you)
To say “no, thank you” in Japanese, the most straightforward way to turn something down is to say kekkō desu. Literally, it’s closer to “It’s fine.”
- Kōhī wa ikaga desu ka.（コーヒーはいかがですか。）= Would you like coffee?
- Iie, kekkō desu.（いいえ、結構です。）= No, thank you.
Passive turns of phrase are generally preferred over directness in Japanese, so the word “no” (iie, いいえ) should be used sparingly. Usually, it’s clear through context that you’re declining something when you use kekkō desu, so the addition of iie is unnecessary in most cases.
- Sarada wa ikaga desuka.（サラダはいかがですか。）= Would you like a salad?
- Kekkō desu. Mō tabete imasu.（結構です。もう食べています。）= No, thank you. I have one.
Saying ‘thank you’ in Japanese: formal vs. casual
As you learn Japanese, you’ll note that the normal social conventions surrounding formality in Japanese culture (such as those applying to Japanese honorifics) apply to the different ways to say “thank you.” Stick to using casual variations with close friends and family, and remember to use the polite or formal version for other groups of people like:
- Strangers
- People above you at work (like your boss)
- People above you at school (like your teacher or an upperclassman)
- Other people you want to show respect
Even something as small as remembering to use arigatō gozaimasu instead of the simple arigatō can go a long way to making a good impression. Remember the appropriate way to say “thank you” in Japanese for the situation and others will thank you in return!
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