How to Say ‘Thank you for your hard work.’ in Japanese
お疲れさまでした。
o tsukare sama deshi ta
[o tsoo-KAH-reh sah-mah deh-shee tah]
🇯🇵 In Japan: Staff say this to you at the end, with the sense of "You must be tired, well done." It's a friendly closing for the customer, not praise for hard work.
Phrase Breakdown
お
o
[o]
polite prefix
A prefix added to words to show respect.
お邪魔します、おじゃまします。
Excuse me for disturbing.
疲れ
tsukare
[tsoo-KAH-reh]
tiredness; fatigue
Noun from 疲れる 'to get tired'; used in the set phrase thanking someone for their effort.
疲れが取れました。
My fatigue is gone.
さま
sama
[sah-mah]
honorific suffix; polite people marker
A respectful ending attached to people-related words, as in 皆さま, meaning 'everyone' politely.
皆さまでどうぞ。
Please, all of you.
でし
deshi
[deh-shee]
was (polite) part
Part of でした, the polite past form of です.
昨日はだめでした。
It was no good yesterday.
た
ta
[tah]
past tense ending
This ending completes the polite past tense form.
空席がございまし た。
There were vacant seats.
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