How do you say "You’re welcome." in Japanese?

"You’re welcome." in Japanese is "どういたしまして。". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘You’re welcome.’ in Japanese

Q: What does "どういたしまして。" mean in English?

"どういたしまして。" means "You’re welcome." in English. Usage tip: Polite “You’re welcome.” In casual speech you might also hear [いえいえ] “no, no (it’s nothing).”

どういたしまして。

dou itashi mashi te

[doh ee-TAH-shee mah-shee teh]

💬 Usage Tip: Polite “You’re welcome.” In casual speech you might also hear [いえいえ] “no, no (it’s nothing).”

🇯🇵 In Japan: Interestingly, people often don’t say “you’re welcome” at all; a smile, nod, or [大丈夫です] can be the response.

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.”

Example

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.

Example

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.

Example

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

[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.

Example

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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