How to Say ‘Thank you’ in Japanese
ありがとうございます
arigatou gozai masu
[ah-ree-gah-toh goh-zah-ee mah-soo]
🇯🇵 In Japan: This is the standard polite thank-you for everyday service situations. Customers and staff both use it freely; it doesn't sound overly formal.
Phrase Breakdown
ありがとう
arigatou
[ah-ree-gah-toh]
thank you (polite) (base part)
The core word for “thank you.” It combines with ございます to become polite for customer service.
ありがとう ございます。
Thank you very much.
ござい
gozai
[goh-zah-ee]
(polite set phrase part) goza-i-
Part of ございます, used to make expressions polite in service situations (like at a fast-food counter).
ありがとう ござい ます。
Thank you very much.
ます
masu
[mah-soo]
(polite ending) -masu
Polite verb ending used in formal/customer-service speech. In ありがとうございます, it completes the polite phrase.
ありがとうござい ます。
Thank you very much.
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