How to Say ‘Thank you (very much).’ in Japanese
ありがとうございます。
arigatou gozai masu
[ah-ree-gah-toh goh-zah-ee mahss]
💬 Usage Tip: Standard polite thank you. You can also say [ありがとうございました] after the help is finished (past tense).
🇯🇵 In Japan: A small bow with [ありがとうございます] is very natural when someone helps you find a station.
Phrase Breakdown
ありがとう
arigatou
[ah-ree-gah-toh]
thank you (polite)
The polite base of “thank you.” It becomes fully polite when followed by ございます. Common when asking strangers for directions (e.g., at a metro station).
最寄りの駅はどこですか。教えてくれて、ありがとう。
Where is the nearest station? Thank you for telling me.
ござい
gozai
[goh-zah-ee]
(part of polite expression)
ござい is part of ございます, which makes ありがとう more formal/polite. By itself, ござい is not usually used alone in modern speech.
駅までの行き方を教えていただき、ござい、ます…と言わずに「ありがとうございます」と言います。
After someone explains how to get to the station, you say “arigatou gozaimasu” (thank you), not “gozai, masu…” separately.
ます
masu
[mahss]
(polite verb ending)
ます is a polite ending attached to verbs (and appears here as part of ございます). It signals polite speech, suitable for strangers and service situations like stations.
道を案内します。駅はあちらです。ありがとうございます。
I will guide you. The station is over there. Thank you.
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