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How to Say ‘Thank you for going to the trouble.’ in Japanese

わざわざありがとうございます。

wazawaza arigatou gozai masu

[wazawaza ah-ree-gah-toh goh-zah-ee mahs]

💬 Usage Tip: わざわざ (wazawaza) acknowledges that someone made a special effort for you. Put it in front of thanks to make it warmer.

Phrase Breakdown

わざわざ

wazawaza

[wazawaza]

Expressly

Used to indicate that someone went out of their way to do something.

Example

わざわざ来てくれてありがとう。

Thank you for coming all the way.

ありがとうございます。

arigatou gozai masu

Thank you very much.

This is the polite 'thank you.' The final 'su' is usually whispered.

Example

本当にありがとうございます。

Thank you so much.

Words in this phrase

ありがとう

arigatou

[ah-ree-gah-toh]

thank you

A common way to say thank you.

Example

ありがとう、助かります。

Thank you, that helps.

ござい

gozai

[goh-zah-ee]

to be; to exist (very polite)

A very polite version of あります, often used by staff in restaurants and hotels.

Example

駐車場がございます。

There is a parking lot.

ます

masu

[mahs]

polite verb ending

A standard polite ending added to verbs, often used in customer service and formal speech.

Example

予約を確認します。

I will confirm the reservation.

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