How to say thank you in 45 different languages
November 10, 2023
No matter where you go in the world, a simple “thank you” can go a long way.
Whether your future globetrotting adventures take you to Germany, France, the Netherlands, there’s no better way to impress locals than to show a little gratitude in their mother tongue.
Luckily for you, the experts at Busuu, the language-learning app, have put together a list of ways to say “thank you” in some of the most spoken languages in the world.
Here’s how to say “thank you” in 45 different languages
1. Spanish
- Gracias (Thank you)
- Muchas gracias (Thank you very much)
2. French
- Merci (Thank you)
- Merci beaucoup (Thank you very much)
- Merci mille fois (Thanks so much)
3. Italian
- Grazie (Thank you)
- Grazie mille / Grazie infinite (Thank you very much)
- Molte grazie (Many thanks)
4. German
- Danke (Thanks)
- Dankeschön (Thank you kindly)
- Danke sehr (Thank you very much)
5. Dutch
- Bedankt (Thanks)
- Dankjewel (Thank you) informal
- Dankuwel (Thank you) formal
6. Portuguese
- Obrigado / Obrigada (Thank you – male / female speaker)
- Muito obrigado (for boys) / Muito obrigada (for girls) (Thank you very much)
7. Turkish
- Teşekkürler (Thanks)
- Teşekkür ederim (Thank you)
- Çok teşekkürler (Thank you very much)
8. Russian
- Спасибо [Spasiba] (Thanks)
- Благодарю [Blagadaryu] (Thank you)
- Большое спасибо [Bol’shoye spasiba] (Thank you very much)
9. Chinese (Mandarin)
- 谢谢 [xiè xiè] (Thank you)
- 多谢 [duō xiè] (Thanks a lot)
- 感谢 [gǎn xiè] (Many thanks)
10. Korean
- 감사합니다 [gahm-sa-hab-ni-da] Formal Thank you
- 고마워 [go-ma-wo] Casual Thank you
- 대단히 감사합니다 (dae-dan-hi gahm-sa-hab-ni-da) Formal Thank you very much
- 정말 고마워 [jeong-mal go-ma-wo] Casual Thank you very much
11. Vietnamese
- Cảm ơn (Thanks)
- Cảm ơn bạn (Thank you)
- Cảm ơn bạn rất nhiều (Thank you very much)
12. Arabic
- شكرًا Thank you [šukran]
- شكرا على كلامك اللطيف Thanks for your kind words [šokran ʿalā kalāmak el-la]
- ده كرم منك That’s very kind of you [dah karam menna]
13. Polish
- Dzięki (Thanks)
- Dziękuję (Thank You) (Note that dziękuję – or nie, dziękuję – can also be used to refuse an offer, as in “no, thanks)
- Stokrotne dzięki (Many thanks)
- Wielkie dzięki (Thanks alot)
14. Croatian
- Hvala (Thank You)
- Puno hvala / Hvala lijepa (Thanks a lot)
- Hvala najljepša literary / Baš ti hvala colloquial (Thank you really)
15. Danish
- Tak (Thank you)
- Mange tak (Thank you so much)
- Tak skal du have (Thanks alot)
16. Czech
- Děkuji vám (Thank you)
- To je od vás velmi laskavé (That’s very kind of you)
- Díky moc! (Thanks a lot!)
17. Estonian
- Tänan (Thank you)
- Aitäh (Thanks)
- Tänan väga (Thank you very much)
18. Finnish
- Kiitos (Thank you)
- Kiitos ystävällisistä sanoistasi! (Thank you for your kind words)
- Kiitos paljon! (Thanks a lot)
19. Greek
- Σ’ ευχαριστώ! [S’ efharistó!] Ι thank you (singular – less formal)
- Σας ευχαριστώ! [Sas efharistó!] Thank you (plural – formal)
- Σας ευχαριστούμε! [Sas efharistούme!] We thank you
20. Hawaiian
- Mahalo (Thank you)
- Mahalo nui loa (Thank you very much)
21. Hindi
- धन्यवाद [dhun-yuh-vaad] Thank you (pure Hindi)
- बहुत शुक्रिया or बहुत धन्यवाद [bahut shu-kri-yaa or bahut dhun-yuh-vaad] Thank you very much
- शुक्रिया [shu-kri-yaa] Thanks (colloquial Hindi)
22. Indonesian
- Terima kasih (Thank you)
- Anda sungguh baik hati (Thank you kindly)
- Terima kasih banyak (Thanks a lot)
23. Japanese
- ありがとう [Arigatou] Thanks
- ありがとうございます [Arigatou gozaimasu] Thank you
- どうもありがとう [Doumo arigatou] Thank you kindly
- どうもありがとうございます[Doumo Arigatou gozaimasu] Thank you very much
Learn more: I Can’t Thank You Enough: 17 Ways to Say Thank You in Japanese
24. Latvian
- Paldies (Thank you)
- Liels paldies (Thank you very much)
- Paldies par jūsu viesmīlību (Thank you for your hospitality)
25. Romanian
- Mulţumesc (Thank you)
- Este foarte amabil din partea dumneavoastră (That’s very kind of you)
- Vă mulțumim pentru cuvintele frumoase (Thanks for your kind words)
Keen to learn more than how to say thank you?
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26. Swahili
- Shurkan (Thanks) – mostly used in oral communication
- Shukran sana (Thanks a lot) – mostly used in oral communication
- Asante (Thank you)
- Asante Sana (Thanks a lot)
27. Thai
- ขอบคุณ [khawp khun] (Thank you)
- ขอบใจนะ [khawp jai] (Thanks)
28. Filipino
- Salamat sa-LAH-mat (Thank you)
- Napakabuti ninyo (That’s very kind of you)
- Salamat sa iyong mga papuri (Thanks for your kind words)
29. Slovak
- Ďakujem JAH-koo-yehm (I thank you)
- Ďakujeme (We thank you)
- Ďakujem mnohokrát (Thanks a lot)
30. Norwegian
- Takk skal du ha (Thank you)
- Takk for hjelpen (Thanks for your help)
- Tusen takk (Thousand thanks)
31. Hebrew
- Toda (Thank you)
- Toda raba (Thank you very much)
- Rov todot (Many thanks)
32. Hungarian
- Köszönöm (I thank you)
- Ez nagyon kedves tőled (That’s very kind of you) – informal
- Köszönöm a kedves szavakat (Thanks for your kind words)
33. Māori
- Tēnā koe (Thank you)
- Tēnā rawa atu koe (Thank you very much)
34. Icelandic
- Takk (Thank you)
- Kærar þakkir (Thanks a lot)
35. Esperanto
- Danko (Thanks)
- Dankon (Thank you)
36. Samoan
- Faʻafetai (Thank you)
37. Hausa
- Na gode (Thank you)
38. Yoruba
- Adúpẹ́ (Thank you)
39. Igbo
- Daalụ (Thank you)
- Daalụ nke ukwuu (Thank you very much)
40. Uzbek
- Rahmat (Thank you)
- Katta rahmat (Thank you very much)
41. Maltese
- Grazzi (Thank you)
- Nirringrazzjak (More formal thank you)
42. Welsh
- Diolch (Thank you)
- Diolch yn fawr (Thank you very much) – commonly used
- Diolch yn fawr iawn (Thank you very much) – quite formal
43. Afrikaans
- Dankie (Thank you)
- Baie dankie (Thanks a lot)
- Dit is baie gaaf van jou (That’s very kind of you)
44. British English
- Thank you / Thanks very much
- Thanks mate / Cheers mate / Ta (friendly, informal)
- You’re a life-saver / You’re my hero (to show immense gratitude, usually for some act of kindness)
- You’re too kind (when someone pays you a compliment)
45. American English
- Thank you / Thanks so much / Thanks a lot / Thanks a bunch / Thanks a ton / Thanks! (informal)
- Thanks a million (to show immense gratitude)
And that’s a wrap! You officially know how to say thank you in 45 different languages.
But why stop there?
If you’re thinking of adding some more phrases to your repertoire, we know the perfect place to start…
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Emily Duncan
Emily Duncan is a Canadian writer, comedian and avid language learner currently based in New York City. Emily’s first language is English, she’s fluent in French, speaks some Irish, and is currently learning Japanese and Spanish. Emily loves dogs, iced coffee, and cooking experiments.