🙏📅💯

How to Say ‘Thank you very much for today.’ in Japanese

本日はありがとうございました。

honjitsu wa arigatou gozai mashi ta

[hon-jee-tsoo wah ah-ree-gah-toh goh-zah-ee mah-shee tah]

💬 Usage Tip: The past form ございました thanks someone for something that has just finished, so it fits the end of the interview. At the start you'd use よろしくお願いいたします instead.

Phrase Breakdown

本日は

honjitsu wa

today (formal)

本日 (honjitsu) is a formal word for 'today', used in business and interviews. は is pronounced 'wa'. Say 'honjitsu wa'.

Example

本日は晴れです。

Today it is sunny.

Words in this phrase

本日

honjitsu

[hon-jee-tsoo]

today; this day

A polite/formal way to say 'today,' often used in business situations and speeches.

Example

本日はお忙しい中ありがとうございます。

Thank you for your time today despite your busy schedule.

は

[wah]

topic marker; as for

Marks 'today' as the topic. Written は but pronounced 'wa.'

Example

本日はお時間をいただき、ありがとうございます。

Thank you for giving me your time today.

ありがとうございました。

arigatou gozai mashi ta

thank you very much (for what you did)

This is the polite past form of 'thank you', used when something has finished. Say 'arigatou gozaimashita', with the 'i' in 'shita' almost silent.

Example

先日はありがとうございました。

Thank you for the other day.

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 exist; polite support word

Part of the polite phrase for thanking someone formally.

Example

本日はお時間をいただき、ありがとうございます。

Thank you for giving me your time today.

まし

mashi

[mah-shee]

polite past stem

Part of the polite past ending in a verb phrase.

Example

昨日は多くのことを学びました。

I learned many things yesterday.

た

[tah]

past tense ending

This ending completes the polite past tense form.

Example

空席がございました。

There were vacant seats.

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