🙏📅

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

今日はありがとうございました。

kyou wa arigatou gozai mashi ta

[kyoh wah ah-ree-gah-toh goh-zah-ee mah-shee tah]

🇯🇵 In Japan: This is the standard way to close a conversation or event in Japan. People say it with a small bow, even after a short chat.

Phrase Breakdown

今日は

kyou wa

today

今日 (kyou) means 'today'. は is read 'wa': kyou wa.

Example

今日は暑いです。

It's hot today.

Words in this phrase

今日

kyou

[kyoh]

today

The current day.

Example

今日のコンサートは満席です。

Today's concert is full.

は

[wah]

topic marker

は marks the topic of the sentence.

Example

空席はありますか。

Are there any seats available?

ありがとうございました。

arigatou gozai mashi ta

thank you very much.

A polite 'thank you' for something that has already happened.

Example

昨日はありがとうございました。

Thank you for yesterday.

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 (polite part of expression)

A polite verb stem used in set phrases like greetings to sound respectful.

Example

あいさつでは、ございをていねいに言います。

In greetings, you say gozai politely.

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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