How to Say ‘You’re welcome.’ in Japanese
どういたしまして。
dou itashi mashi te
[doh ee-TAH-shee mah-shee teh]
🇯🇵 In Japan: Japanese speakers often say this less than English speakers say "you're welcome"; after helping, many people just smile or nod. So don't worry if you hear [ありがとうございます] much more often than [どういたしまして].
Phrase Breakdown
どう
dou
[doh]
how; in what way (as in set phrase)
Literally “how,” but in 「どういたしまして」 it functions as part of the fixed polite response meaning “You’re welcome.”
ありがとうございます。—どういたしまして。
Thank you. — You’re welcome.
いたし
itashi
[ee-TAH-shee]
do (humble) (part of set phrase)
From いたす (humble “do”). In 「どういたしまして」 it’s a standard polite reply after thanks, common when helping with directions.
助かりました。—どういたしまして。
That helped a lot. — You’re welcome.
まし
mashi
[mah-shee]
(polite) auxiliary part of “-masu” (part of set phrase)
Adds politeness; in 「どういたしまして」 it makes the humble verb sound formally polite.
ありがとうございました。—どういたしまして。
Thank you very much. — You’re welcome.
て
te
[teh]
(te-form) ending (part of set phrase)
Here it completes the fixed expression 「どういたしまして」 rather than linking actions.
ご親切に。—どういたしまして。
That was very kind of you. — You’re welcome.
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