How to Say ‘Thanks for your hard work!’ in Japanese
おつかれさま！
o tsukare sama
[oh tsoo-kah-reh sah-mah]
💬 Usage Tip: Super common after practice. It’s not “tired,” it’s “you worked hard.” (ots-kah-reh-sah-ma)
🇯🇵 In Japan: Used among teammates after training, meetings, even part-time jobs. In sports, saying it helps close practice warmly.
Phrase Breakdown
お
o
[oh]
(honorific prefix)
お is a polite prefix that makes the phrase more respectful. It’s common in set expressions like おつかれさま.
おつかれさま！おを付けて言うとていねいだよ。
Good job! Adding “o-” makes it more polite.
つかれ
tsukare
[tsoo-kah-reh]
tired; fatigue (part of expression)
つかれ comes from 疲れ (tiredness). In おつかれさま, it’s a fixed phrase meaning “Good work/Thanks for your effort.”
れんしゅうのあとで「つかれ」と言わずに、おつかれさま！と言おう。
After practice, instead of just saying “tired,” say “Otsukaresama!”
さま
sama
[sah-mah]
Mr./Ms.; respected person (part of expression)
さま is an honorific. In おつかれさま, it adds respect; the whole phrase is used between teammates/coaches after effort.
コーチにも「おつかれさま！」とさまを付けて言うといいね。
It’s good to say “Otsukaresama!” to the coach too, with “-sama.”
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