How to Say ‘Thanks for your hard work! (polite)’ in Japanese
おつかれさまでした！
o tsukare sama deshi ta
[oh tsoo-kah-reh]
💬 Usage Tip: More polite/complete. Often said to coach or seniors. (ots-kah-reh-sah-ma-desh-tah)
🇯🇵 In Japan: After practice, teams often line up and say [ありがとうございました] and/or [おつかれさまでした] together as a closing ritual.
Phrase Breakdown
お
o
[oh]
(honorific prefix)
お is the polite prefix in the fixed expression おつかれさまでした, commonly said at the end of practice.
れんしゅうが終わったら「おつかれさまでした！」と言おう。
When practice ends, say “Otsukaresama deshita!”
つかれ
tsukare
[tsoo-kah-reh]
tired; fatigue (part of expression)
つかれ is from 疲れ. In this set phrase it expresses appreciation for someone’s effort (not literally “you’re tired”).
みんなで「おつかれさまでした！」とつかれを入れて言います。
Everyone says “Otsukaresama deshita!” including the “tsukare” part.
さまでした
sama deshi ta
polite past expression in a set phrase
This is the past polite form used in the fixed phrase meaning 'Thank you for your hard work' or 'You did a great job.'
きょうも いちにち、おつかれさまでした。
Thank you for your hard work today, too.
Words in this phrase
さま
sama
でし
deshi
た
ta
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