How to Say ‘Thank you very much’ in Japanese
ありがとうございます
arigatou gozai masu
[ah-ree-gah-toh goh-zah-ee mahs]
💬 Usage Tip: Drop ございます and you get the casual ありがとう, fine with friends. The う at the end of ありがとう is barely voiced.
Phrase Breakdown
ありがとう
arigatou
[ah-ree-gah-toh]
thank you
A common way to say thank you.
ありがとう、助かります。
Thank you, that helps.
ございます
gozai masu
(polite ending)
Adding this ending makes your thanks polite. Say go-za-i-mas, with a soft final 'u'.
おはようございます。
Good morning.
Words in this phrase
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.
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.
ます
masu
[mahs]
polite verb ending
A standard polite ending added to verbs, often used in customer service and formal speech.
予約を確認し ます。
I will confirm the reservation.
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