How to Say Thank You Very Much in Japanese: Polite Phrases and When to Use Them

Key takeaways

• Japanese has multiple thank you expressions that differ by formality level, time reference (present vs. completed action), and degree of emphasis.
• ありがとうございます (arigatou gozaimasu) is the standard polite form used in most everyday situations with people you do not know well.
• ありがとうございました (arigatou gozaimashita) uses the past tense and is said after something has been completed: at the end of a meal, a service, a lesson, or a transaction.
• Japanese culture often involves modesty in receiving thanks: responding to gratitude with downplaying phrases (ie ie, do itashimashite) is common and expected.

English learners know arigatou as thank you and assume one phrase covers all situations.

In practice, the choice between ありがとう (arigatou), ありがとうございます (arigatou gozaimasu), どうもありがとうございます (dōmo arigatou gozaimasu), and ありがとうございました (arigatou gozaimashita) signals your level of politeness, your relationship to the recipient, and whether you are thanking them for something ongoing or something that just concluded.

italki connects learners with Japanese teachers who can demonstrate these distinctions in natural conversation so you use the right level of thanks in every situation.

This guide covers all major Japanese thank you expressions, when to use each, how to respond to thanks, cultural context around gratitude in Japan, and phrases for written thank yous.

Core thank you expressions at a glance

Japanese	Romaji	Formality	When to use
ありがとう	arigatou	Casual	Close friends, family, peers
どうも	dōmo	Casual/neutral	Quick thanks, passing acknowledgment
ありがとうございます	arigatou gozaimasu	Polite	Everyday situations with strangers, staff, colleagues
どうもありがとうございます	dōmo arigatou gozaimasu	Polite, emphatic	Stronger thanks in the same situations
ありがとうございました	arigatou gozaimashita	Polite, past	After a service, meal, lesson, or transaction ends
誠にありがとうございます	makoto ni arigatou gozaimasu	Formal	Speeches, formal letters, serious gratitude

Arigatou: casual thanks

ありがとう (arigatou) is the base form and is appropriate only with people you are on familiar terms with: close friends, family members, and peers in casual settings.

Situation	Example
Friend holds the door	ありがとう
Sibling passes the salt	ありがとう
Close colleague does a small favor	ありがとう

Using ありがとう with a stranger, a shopkeeper, or a superior sounds abrupt and can come across as rude, not because the word itself is wrong but because it lacks the honorific ございます (gozaimasu) that signals respect and social awareness.

Young people in casual daily speech use ありがとう constantly among friends. It is warm and direct when used in the right context.

Arigatou gozaimasu: standard polite thanks

ありがとうございます (arigatou gozaimasu) is the form that works across most everyday situations. Use it with:

• Shop staff when they help you or give you your purchase
• Restaurant servers at any point during service
• A stranger who helps you with directions
• Colleagues at a similar or higher level
• Anyone you have just met

Situation	Example
Receiving change from a cashier	ありがとうございます
Server brings your food	ありがとうございます
Someone holds the elevator	ありがとうございます
Teacher ends a lesson	ありがとうございました (past form, since the lesson is complete)

ありがとうございます is the present-tense form. It thanks the person for something that is happening now or for their general goodwill.

A private Japanese tutor can help you practice the correct intonation and natural delivery of ありがとうございます, since rushing or mumbling it reduces its social effectiveness.

Doumo: versatile shorthand

どうも (dōmo) on its own functions as a casual, passing thanks or hey. It is the abbreviated version of どうもありがとうございます and is used when brevity matters.

Situation	Example
Someone hands you something briefly	どうも
Passing acknowledgment in the office	どうも
Greeting a familiar acquaintance	どうも (in place of こんにちは)

どうも alone is too casual for formal settings and too brief for situations that call for genuine thanks. Think of it as equivalent to ta in British English or cheers in Australian English: friendly and quick but not appropriate when real gratitude is expected.

Doumo arigatou gozaimasu: very much, formal

どうもありがとうございます (dōmo arigatou gozaimasu) adds どうも to the standard polite form. どうも here functions as an intensifier similar to very much or many thanks.

Use this when ありがとうございます alone feels insufficient for the level of help or kindness received:

Situation	Example
Someone goes significantly out of their way to help you	どうもありがとうございます
A host gives you a gift or prepares a special meal	どうもありがとうございます
A professional provides exceptional service	どうもありがとうございます

The difference between ありがとうございます and どうもありがとうございます is degree, not formality level. Both are appropriate in the same range of situations; the どうも version conveys more genuine weight.

Work on producing the longer phrases smoothly with an Japanese teacher, since natural pacing and the right degree of bow that accompanies the phrase are both part of how the thanks is received.

Arigatou gozaimashita: past tense thanks

ありがとうございました (arigatou gozaimashita) is the past-tense form. The shift from gozaimasu to gozaimashita moves the thanks from an ongoing situation to a completed one.

This is the form to use when something has just finished: a meal at a restaurant, a business meeting, a haircut, a lesson, a guided tour.

Situation	Form to use
Leaving a restaurant	ありがとうございました (the meal is complete)
Ending a class or lesson	ありがとうございました
Completing a business transaction	ありがとうございました
Receiving help that is now finished	ありがとうございました
During an ongoing service	ありがとうございます (still present)

The distinction matters. Saying ありがとうございます when leaving a restaurant is not wrong but sounds slightly incomplete; the past form signals that you are acknowledging the entire experience as finished and appreciated.

Makoto ni arigatou gozaimasu: sincere and formal

誠にありがとうございます (makoto ni arigatou gozaimasu) uses 誠に (makoto ni: sincerely, truly) to elevate the thanks to its most formal register. This is the language of:

• Formal speeches and ceremonies
• Written letters of thanks
• Situations involving deep gratitude or significant acknowledgment (a donation, a major act of kindness, a formal award)

In everyday conversation, this level of formality stands out and can feel overly stiff. Reserve it for genuinely significant occasions or formal written communication.

The past-tense equivalent, 誠にありがとうございました, is used the same way when thanking for something completed.

Response phrases: what to say when thanked

When someone thanks you in Japanese, these are the natural responses:

Japanese	Romaji	English equivalent
いいえ、どういたしまして	iie, dō itashimashite	You’re welcome (formal)
どういたしまして	dō itashimashite	You’re welcome
いいえいいえ	ie ie	Not at all / Think nothing of it
お役に立てて嬉しいです	oyaku ni tatete ureshii desu	I am glad I could help
そんな、大したことじゃないです	sonna, taishita koto ja nai desu	It was nothing / Don’t mention it
こちらこそ、ありがとうございます	kochira koso, arigatou gozaimasu	Thank you as well (returning thanks)

どういたしまして (dō itashimashite) is the textbook you’re welcome but is somewhat formal and less frequently used in casual conversation than learners expect. Native speakers often respond to thanks with deflecting phrases (いいえいいえ, そんな) or by returning the thanks rather than accepting it directly.

Cultural context: modesty and receiving gratitude

Japanese culture traditionally values modesty. Accepting thanks too readily or saying you’re welcome enthusiastically can seem immodest. The more natural response often minimizes the effort:

いいえ、大したことじゃないですよ (iie, taishita koto ja nai desu yo: no, it really was nothing) signals social grace. This does not mean the person is being dishonest; minimizing one’s contribution is a way of preserving the relationship’s balance.

Similarly, when receiving a gift or a compliment, the expected response is often deflection: いえ、そんなことないです (ie, sonna koto nai desu: no, that’s not true) in response to being told your Japanese is good, for example.

Understanding this pattern prevents learners from misreading responses to their gratitude as dismissiveness. When a Japanese person says it was nothing, they are usually expressing warmth, not irritation.

Written thank you: cards, messages, and emails

In written contexts, different phrases are standard.

Casual written thanks (text messages, LINE):

• ありがとう
• ありがとうね
• どうもありがとう

Professional email or letter openings (acknowledging thanks received):

• お礼申し上げます (orei moushiagemasu: I express my gratitude)
• ご丁寧にありがとうございます (go-teinei ni arigatou gozaimasu: thank you for your kind consideration)

Standard email or letter closings:

• よろしくお願いいたします (yoroshiku onegai itashimasu: used when continuing a relationship)
• 引き続きよろしくお願いいたします (hikitsuzuki yoroshiku onegai itashimasu: thank you for your continued support)

Writing an email in Japanese helps you place formal thank-you language inside a complete message structure.

Please in Japanese pairs naturally with thank-you phrases because both depend on politeness level and social context.

Ready to practice Japanese politeness?

The difference between ありがとう (too casual), ありがとうございます (present, polite), and ありがとうございました (past, polite) is the kind of distinction that is easy to understand but requires practice to produce naturally. Producing it in real conversation, reading the social situation correctly, and responding to thanks with the right degree of modesty: these skills come from interaction, not from a vocabulary list. italki has 30,000+ expert tutors trusted by over 10 million learners worldwide, including Japanese language tutors who can put you in real gratitude scenarios and help you find the natural response. Japanese language tutor and practice these phrases in context today.

FAQ

Why is arigatou not enough for most situations?

ありがとう (arigatou) is the plain form and lacks the honorific ございます (gozaimasu) that indicates respect and social awareness toward the person being thanked. In Japanese social settings, especially with anyone outside your immediate circle of close friends and family, dropping the ございます sounds socially incomplete and can register as slightly rude, similar to addressing a stranger by their first name in a culture where titles are expected.

Is it rude to say doumo by itself?

どうも (dōmo) alone is not rude but it is informal and brief. It is appropriate in casual passing exchanges: a quick nod and どうも when a colleague holds the door. In situations that call for genuine thanks for a significant gesture, どうも alone undervalues the other person’s effort. The context determines whether brevity is efficient or insufficient.

How important is bowing when saying thank you?

The bow accompanies the thanks and its depth reflects the degree of gratitude and the formality of the situation. A small nod works for minor thanks in casual settings. A deeper bow (15-30 degrees) accompanies formal or significant thanks. Very deep bows (45 degrees) are reserved for serious apologies or the most formal occasions. For most learner situations, a moderate bow with ありがとうございます covers the vast majority of contexts correctly.