How to Say ‘Thank you.’ in Japanese
ありがとうございます。
arigatou gozai masu
[ah-ree-gah-toh goh-zah-ee mahss]
💬 Usage Tip: [ありがとうございます] is the standard polite “thank you.” Great to end the interaction smoothly.
🇯🇵 In Japan: Thanking after a request is important in Japan—it acknowledges the effort and reduces lingering tension.
Phrase Breakdown
ありがとう
arigatou
[ah-ree-gah-toh]
thank you
Casual base for gratitude. In polite speech it’s followed by ございます to become more formal.
ありがとう、助かります。
Thanks, that helps a lot.
ござい
gozai
[goh-zah-ee]
(polite set phrase part)
Part of ありがとうございます. Adds politeness/formality to ありがとう; used to thank neighbors politely.
言ってくれてありがとうございます。
Thank you for telling me.
ます
masu
[mahss]
polite verb ending
Completes ございます in polite style (ありがとうございます). Appropriate in neighbor situations.
ありがとうございます。また何かあったら言ってください。
Thank you. If anything comes up again, please tell me.
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