We know that in the Japanese language there are several ways to say thank you like arigatou. But have you thought about how to respond to a thank you in Japanese? In this article, we will see different ways to say “you’re welcome” in the Japanese language.
When hearing a arigatou [ありがとう], the most common, polite, and formal response is to say douitashimashite [どう致しまして], which is the closest we have to the Portuguese “you’re welcome”. What are the other ways to respond to a thank you in Japanese?
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Origin of the Word Douitashimashite
The word douitashimashite literally means “I really didn’t do anything anyway, so don’t worry about it.” The origin of the word douitashimashite can be explained as follows:
- Dou [どう] comes from the expression donoyouni [どの様に] which means anyway;
- Itashimashite [致しまして] comes from the verb itasu [致す] which is the keigo and polite form of the verb suru [する] which means to do;
The expression douitashimashite also conveys the idea of “At any time,” “Of course,” “Don’t worry,” “No problem,” “It was nothing,” “It was a pleasure,” “I’m happy to help.” Some people in certain situations simply drop the dou and say only itashimashite [いたしまして].
Other ways to say “you’re welcome” in Japanese
Although douitashimashite is the most formal and polite way to say “you’re welcome” in Japanese, there are several other informal or casual expressions to use with friends and even acquaintances. Let’s see a small list below:
| Portuguese | Japanese | Romaji |
| Thank you (formal with colleagues) | こちらこそ | Kochirakoso |
| No, no/no problem, it’s fine (informal/colleagues) | いえいえ | ie ie |
| Nothing, just say anything | ううん、いつでも声かけて | uun, itsudemokoekakete |
| Don’t be so formal with me | 遠慮しないで | enryoshinaide |
| I’m happy to help (among friends) | 助けになれて 良かった | tasukeninarete yokatta |
| It’s my duty (when responding to a boss) | 恐縮です | kyoushukudesu |
| No problem, don’t worry | 大丈夫 | daijoubu |
| It was nothing, totally no problem | 全然 | zenzen |
| It was nothing [special] (somewhat informal and rude) | 別に | betsuni |
| It was nothing (among friends, can be rude) | いいよ | iiyo |
See below a video showing these different ways to say you’re welcome in Japanese:
other situations of thanks
If you are among close friends, you can just say yes using ha-i (はーい) or un (うん) and sometimes you can make jokes like kore takaiyo (これ高いよ) which means it will cost a lot!
We recommend carefully analyzing the situation before thanking in any way, as depending on the situation or the person you are saying “you’re welcome” to, you may come across as rude depending on the expression used. You can make combinations like iie, kochirakoso (no, I thank you).
You can also say you’re welcome by saying thank you (arigatou) depending on the situation, like when shopping in a store where both people thank each other. Sometimes you also don’t need to respond at all, just bow and leave the place.
Always remember to wear a smile to make your words sound friendlier. I hope you enjoyed the tips in this article! If you liked it, share it with your friends and leave your comments! どういたしまして!
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