How do you say "Thank you very much." in Japanese?

"Thank you very much." in Japanese is "どうもありがとうございます。". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

What does "どうもありがとうございます。" mean in English?

"どうもありがとうございます。" means "Thank you very much." in English. Usage tip: [どうも] adds emphasis to [ありがとうございます], making it "thank you very much." Polite and natural.

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

どうもありがとうございます。

dou mo arigatou gozai masu

[doh-moh moh ah-ree-gah-toh goh-zah-ee mahss]

💬 Usage Tip: [どうも] adds emphasis to [ありがとうございます], making it "thank you very much." Polite and natural.

🇯🇵 In Japan: This is perfect after a staff member walks you to the item or gives extra help.

Phrase Breakdown

どうも

dou mo

very; thanks a lot

Adds strong emphasis to gratitude; often used with thanks.

Example

どうもありがとう。

Thanks a lot.

Words in this phrase

どう

dou

[doh-moh]

very / much

Adds emphasis in polite expressions like thanks.

Example

どうもたすかりました。

That really helped, thank you.

も

[moh]

indeed / also used in set phrase

Here part of the polite phrase どうも, making thanks more emphatic.

Example

どうもありがとうございます。

Thank you very much.

ありがとうございます。

arigatou gozai masu

thank you

A polite way to say thank you.

Example

ありがとうございます。

Thank you.

Words in this phrase

ありがとう

arigatou

[ah-ree-gah-toh]

thank you

A common expression of thanks; polite but less formal than the full phrase with ございます.

Example

ありがとう、たすかります。

Thank you, that helps.

ござい

gozai

[goh-zah-ee]

to be / exist (honorific part)

Part of the very polite expression ありがとうございます.

Example

ほんとうにございません。

That phrase is not natural by itself; this part usually appears inside set polite expressions.

ます

masu

[mahss]

polite verb ending

Polite ending used in formal expressions.

Example

いつもありがとうございます。

Thank you as always.

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