Domo Arigato - 72 ways to say thank you in Japanese

Japanese is a very interesting language, full of formalities, dialects and different ways of expressing yourself. So it's easy to imagine that "domo arigato" isn't the only way to thank a person.

In this article, we will learn more than 72 different ways to say thanks in Japanese, as well as the deep and traditional meaning of ”doumo arigato gozaimasu” [どうもありがとうございます].

”Domo arigato” in Japanese is spelled "doumou arigatou" [どうもありがとう], but the spelling "domō arigatō" is not wrong, it's just a different type of romanization. This version is closer to the pronunciation.

I feel uncomfortable writing "domo arigato" in this article, since I'm used to writing "doumo arigato" and I think it's much more correct, but people tend to Google "domo arigato", which is close to the pronunciation.

We also recommend reading:

• Romaji - The Romanization of the Japanese language
• What does Doumo [どうも] really mean?
• What is the meaning of Ohayou Gozaimasu?

The meaning of Domo Arigato Gozaimasu

We already wrote an article talking about the meaning of "doumo". In short, it can mean no matter how, anyway, in all cases, for some reason and things like that. In the case of "domo arigato", the adverb "doumo" is used to express humility, and convey an idea of a lot or a lot.

The word "arigatou" comes from the adjective "arigatai" [有難い] which means grateful, gratitude or esteem, and which gave rise to the adverbial conjugation "arigataku" [有り難く]. In reality, the origin is much more complex and follows the following order:

ari + katashi → arigatashi → arigataku → arigatau → arigatō

Formerly the adjective "arigatai" was "arigatashi", the combination of the words "ari" (infinitive of aru, verb to be) and the adjective "katashi" [難し] which means difficult. It originally means hard to be, it's rare, it's special or something worthy of being grateful for.

The Camisaimasu [ございます] that most often accompanies "domo arigato" is just a polite version of desu [です] and can be conjugated in the past tense with "arigatou Camisaimashita" [ありがとうございました]. Its origin comes from the informal keigo language "sourou" and "gozaru".

In short, apparently “domo arigato conveys the idea of priceless gratitude, as if it were difficult to have something that can reward him for the deed, or difficult to have someone like the grateful person. Very different from the Portuguese thanks, which seems like the person was forced to do something.

As already mentioned in another article, the “doumo” [どうも] can mean thanks, quite, really, mostly, in some way despite, no matter how difficult, and it can also be a greeting like hello and goodbye.

“Domo” can be used as a greeting, which conveys a sense of appreciation. It's something you often hear when you enter or leave an establishment. “Hai Domo” is often used for introductions and means Hello Everyone! Hai domo even became a meme on the internet due to Kizuna Ai.

We also recommend reading:

• The meaning of Desu and DA(です/だ) in Japanese
• Keigo – Formality in the Japanese Language
• Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu, What does it mean?

Thank you

Just saying "arigatou" [ありがとう] is an informal way of saying thank you. If you're thanking someone you don't know, it's best to use the respectful form "arigatou gozaimasu" [ありがとうございます] in the present tense or "arigatou gozaimashita" [ありがとうございました] in the past tense. But how do you know when to use each one?

We can use arigatou gozaimasu when we are giving thanks for something that is going to happen or is happening. The arigatou gozaimashita already for something that has already happened in the past or has just happened.

There are no specific time rules to use each one of them, sometimes you enter a store and hear arigatou gozaimashita, you must be confused, but the store owner is thanking you for entering the store and not for the purchase you are going to make. Similarly, it's not a problem to say arigatou gozaimasu after the purchase, but it's better to use gozaimashita.

Complementing the Arigato

It's not just the "gozaimasu" needed in a formal thank you. We usually use "Doumo arigatou gozaimasu" [どうもありがとうございます] to thank someone we want to show a lot of respect for.

Sometimes it's normal for people to just use "doumo" hiding the "arigatou gozaimasu", but this should only be used between friends, because it can be rude or mistaken for a greeting.

When we want to say thank you wholeheartedly, or we want to express "I really thank you very much" or "I'm really grateful" we can use the word "hontouni" [本当に] first, which means really and truly.

When someone thanks you can respond by saying "dou itashimashite” [どう致しまして] which means you're welcome, not at all or pleasure is mine. no need", but should be used informally depending on the occasion, as it also means no.

Summarizing the Arigato Gozaimasu Dome

With just these 3 words, we already have 10 different ways to say thank you, which are:

1. Thank you very much
2. Doumo arigatou gozaimasu
3. Arigatou gozaimasu
4. Doumo
5. Arigatou
6. Thank you very much
7. Arigatou gozaimashita
8. Doumo arigatou gozaimashita
9. Thank you very much
10. Verbs in the T form + kurete arigato

The “kurete arigatou [くれてありがとう] allows you to thank using a verb. As an example we can use “tetsudatte kurete arigatou”[手伝ってくれてありがとう] which means thank you for helping me [手伝う].

The kurete [くれて] is like a "for" or thanks "for", since the kurete indicates the giver, the one who does something for you. You can further formalize the sentence by using vemimasu [ございます].

You can use a noun + "arigato" to say thank you for things. If Someone sends you a message, you can say "messegi arigatou" [メッセージありがとう] and stuff like that.

Different Ways to Say Thank You in Japanese

There are thousands of ways to thank in Japanese, many alternatives to arigatou gozaimasu. Below are some of these ways:

Otsukaresama and Gokurosama - Thanking you for your work

At Work we use the expression “otsukaresama deshita” [お疲れ様でした] which means thank you for your work. Used to thank you for your effort or work.

Another way is using the expression “Goukurosama” [ご苦労様] which also means thank you for your hard work.

Sumimasen and Moushiwakenai - Apologizing

Using apologies like "Sumimasen" [すみません] can be interpreted as a thank you, as in "I'm sorry for you having to do this."

Moushiwakenai [申し訳ない] - It means excuse me, but it can convey the idea of ​​thank you very much for doing a certain thing.

We also recommend reading:

• The habit of apologizing in Japanese society
• What is the difference between Sumimasen and Gomennasai?
• Sorry! 23 ways to apologize in Japanese

Thanking you on specific occasions

Okagesamade [お陰様で] - Used to ask how we are doing. It can convey a sense of gratitude, like a thanks to God or thanks to you.

Kekkou [結構] indicates that it is enough, that you don't need it anymore. It can summarize a thank you, equivalent to the thanks we use when rejecting something. It can also indicate that something was beautiful and delicious.

Omataseshimashita [お待たせしました] Thanks for waiting, sorry for the delay;

Daijoubu [大丈夫] means okay, don't worry, but it might be a "no thank you", used to reject something.

Kanshashimasu [感謝します] a word that indicates gratitude and appreciation.

Gochisousamadeshita [御馳走様でした] - Used to thank for the meal after eating.

Itadakimasu [いただきます] - Used before meals to thank for the food.

Thank you in Japanese over the Internet

In addition to the traditional sankyu, on the internet, young people often write abbreviated and varied forms of arigatou, which are:

• あざす。Azusu;
• ありー。Arii;
• あーと。act;
• 39 - Representation of sankyu;

Archaic Thanks in Japanese

katajikenai (忝い) - An old way of thanking someone that literally means grateful, a heartfelt thank you.

Osore irimasu [おそれいります] - A rarely used form nowadays, but it is used to thank customers. It can also highlight your incompetence and thank you for some teaching.

Thank you in Japanese derived from other languages

Some Japanese foreigners or who have spent time abroad may use some slang or ways of thinking derived from other languages. See below:

• Sankyu [サンキュ] - From the English Thank You;
• Merushii [メルシー] - From French Merci;
• goulash [グラチェ] - From Italian Grazie;

Thank you in Different dialects of Japanese

Other ways to say thank you in Japanese vary by region and province. Remember that most of these ways are informal. Below we will leave a list of expressions used in each area:

Província	Romaji	Japonês
Aichi	Katashikenea	型しけねぁ
Akita	Arigatodanshi	ありがとだんし
Aomori	Oarinandogoshi	おありなんどごし
Chiba, Saitama	Sumaneene	すまねーね
Ehime, Shimane, Tottori	Dandan	だんだん
Fukui, Toyama, Ishikawa	Kinodokuna	気の毒な
Fukui	Yorokobidegozaimashita	よろこびでございました
Fukuoka	Ranranookii	らんらんおーきー
Fukushima	Arigadonae	ありがどなえ
Gifu	Yoshitayo	よしたよ
Gunma	Gottuosandesu	ごっつぉさんです
Hiroshima	Arigatoogozanshita	ありがとーござんした
Hokkaido	Arigadoosan	ありがどーさん
Hyogo	Ookiniarigatohan	おーきにありがとはん
Ibaraki	Arigadogozansu	ありがどござんす
Iwate	Oarigadogansu	おありがどがんす
Kagawa	Okamaina	おかまいな
Kagoshima	Okamaina	おかまいな
Kochi	Tamarumonkanoo	たまるもんかのー
Kumamoto	Choojyoo	ちょーじょー
Kyoto	Ookinisunmahen	おーきにすんまへん
Mie	Ookinna	おーきんな
Miyagi	Arigadogozarisuta	ありがどござりすた
Miyazaki	Okkin	おっきん
Nagano	Ogottsuama	おごっつあま
Nagasaki	Kataigenagozatsutazo	かたいげなござったぞ
Nara	Ookiniyoo	おーきによー
Niigata	Ogottsuosandesu	おごっつぉさんです
Oita	Ookeniranran	おーけにらんらん
Okinawa	Niheedeebiru	にへーでーびる
Osaka	Ookini	おーきに
Saga	Ookiin	おーきーん
Shiga	Gottuosandesu	ごっつぉさんです
Shiga	Sunmahendoshita	すんまへんどした
Shizuoka	Wariittsukene	わりーっけね
Tochigi	Arigadoogozeemasu	ありがどーごぜーます
Tokyo, Kanagawa, Tokushima e outras.	Arigatou	ありがとう
Wakayama	Ookiniwariyoo	おーきにわりよー
Yamagata	Oshooshina	おしょーしな
Yamaguchi	Arigatoogozarimashita	ありがとーござりました
Yamanashi	Arigatoogoisu	ありがとーごいす

Videos about Arigatou Gozaimasu

I hope you enjoyed this article deeply discussing the meaning of "domo arigato" and presenting 72 different ways to say thank you in Japanese. If you liked it, please share and leave your comments. 本当にありがとうございます!

To end the article, we will leave some complementary videos: