Want to know how to say thank you in different languages from around the world? Here’s a list of the 50 most spoken languages and how to express your gratitude in each of them.
Saying thank you in other languages is often appreciated while traveling because you’ve taken the effort to learn something from the local language.
Saying thank you in the local language is one of the simplest things you can do in order to improve your experiences abroad. It will give you smiles and perhaps even the start of friendships or memorable encounters.
Saying thank you in different languages can also be very useful while traveling around the world. In some languages you’ll have a special way of expressing gratitude, such as in Japan where you’ll bow in addition to saying thanks.
How to say thank you in Spanish
Gracias is the standard way of saying thanks in Spanish, but it’s more common to say Muchas Gracias, which means thank you very much. In a more formal situation, you would say Muchas Gracias Señor (mister) or Señora (miss).
If someone has made an effort to help you, it’s appropriate to say Gracias por todo, which means thank you for everything. So next time you visit Spain, remember to say gracias or muchas gracias whenever someone helps you.
Photo: Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock
How to say thank you in German
The Germans are known for being polite, and much of the language is quite formal, even among friends and colleagues. The easiest way of saying thank you in German is Danke, but that’s quite informal.
Most Germans wouldn’t say anything less than Danke schön, which means thank you very much. You can also say Vielen Dank, which means many thanks. If you want to say thanks, the same to you, the expression of Danke, gleichfalls can be used.
Also, remember that Germans will say thanks and you’re welcome quite often compared to other languages, and if you don’t do the same, they might see you as rude or impolite. So remember to say at least Danke when someone is helping you in some way.
How to say thank you in Japanese
Japanese people and culture have a strong emphasis on politeness, and Arigato is one of the simplest ways of saying thanks.
However, it’s good to know that Arigato Gozaimasu (ありがとうございます) and Domo Arigato どうもありがとう are seen as more appropriate ways of saying thank you in Japanese.
Japanese people also bow when expressing gratitude, and often several times if it’s a formal bow. If you want to take it one step further and really thanks someone while visiting Japan, you can say Domo arigatou gozaimasu and bow at the same time.
Photo: Aysezgicmeli/Shutterstock
How to say thank you in Chinese
Saying thank you in Chinese is quite simple, and it’s spelled 謝謝 (Xièxiè) but is pronounced more like “she-she”. If you’re writing a text, you can also use Duōxiè.
Chinese people don’t say thanks as much as many other cultures, and it’s not a question of being impolite, it’s just a cultural habit. However, every Chinese will, of course, appreciate when a foreigner shows gratitude, especially if you say thank you in Chinese.
How to say thank you in Arabic
It’s very easy to say thank you in Arabic, just say Shukraan, and every Arabic speaking person will most definitely understand you. In writing it would be شكرا جزيلا.
If you want to be a bit more grateful, you could use the Arabic expression for a thousand thanks, which is “Alf Shokr” ألف شكر . You can also say Shukran Gazilan, which means thanks a lot.
How to say thank you in French
In French, you would say Merci to say thanks or Merci Beaucoup if you want to say thank you very much in French. Unlike some other languages, Merci is good enough to use for any occasion and for any person, no matter if you need to be formal or not.
You can also say Mille Mercis, which means a million thanks.
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How to say thank you in Korean
감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) is the formal version of thank you in Korean, and 고마워요 (gomawoyo) is more like the standard thanks. You can also use the word 고맙습니다 (gomapseumnida) which is similar to gamsahamnida.
List of how to say thank you in different languages
| Language | How to say “Thank You” |
| Afrikaans | Dankie |
| Albanian | Faleminderit |
| Arabic | شكرا جزيلا (shukraan) |
| Armenian | շնորհակալություն (shnorhakalut’yun) |
| Bengal | ধন্যবাদ (Dhan’yabāda) |
| Bosnian | Hvala |
| Bulgarian | Благодаря ти (Blagodarya ti) |
| Chinese | 謝謝 (Xièxiè) |
| Croatian | Hvala |
| Czech | Děkuju |
| Danish | Tak |
| Netherlands (Dutch) | Dank je |
| English | Thank you |
| Estonian | Aitäh |
| Filipino (Tagalog) | Salamat |
| Finnish | Kiitos |
| French | Merci |
| Georgian | გმადლობთ (gmadlobt) |
| German | Danke |
| Greek | ευχαριστώ (efcharistó) |
| Hawaiian | Mahalo |
| Hebrew | תודה |
| Hindi | धन्यवाद (dhanyavaad) |
| Hungarian | Köszönöm |
| Icelandic | Þakka þér fyrir |
| Indonesian (bahasa) | Terima kasih |
| Italian | Grazie |
| Japanese | 有り難う (Arigato) |
| Korean | 고마워요 (gomawoyo) |
| Lao | ຂອບໃຈ (khobchai) |
| Latvian | Paldies |
| Macedonia | Ви благодарам (Vi blagodaram) |
| Mandarin | 謝謝 (Xièxiè) |
| Mongolian | Баярлалаа (Bayarlalaa) |
| Norwegian | Takk |
| Persian | متشکرم |
| Polish | Dziękuję Ci |
| Portuguese | Obrigado |
| Romanian | Mulțumesc |
| Russian | Cпасибо (spatseeba) |
| Serbian | Hvala |
| Spanish | Gracias |
| Swedish | Tack |
| Tamil | நன்றி (Naṉṟi) |
| Thai | kob khun ka / kob khun krab |
| Turkish | Teşekkür ederim |
| Ukraine | Спасибі (spatseeba) |
| Vietnamese | Cảm ơn bạn |
| Zulu | Ngiyabonga |
Photo: ivosar/Shutterstock
More thoughts about saying thank you in other languages
Whenever I travel somewhere new, the first person I interact with, I always ask how to say thank you in their language. Most of the times, the first person I interact with in a new country is helping me with something, so it’s the perfect time to put it into practice.
So far, I have been met by smiles in every single country I’ve been too, and some times, saying thank you in the local language also gave the other person interest to ask me something that led to further interaction.
Saying thank you in other languages is one of the simplest things you can do to improve your travel experiences. The same goes for saying hello in other languages or just about any basic phrase or expression you’ll use on a regular basis.
Even though the majority of the world will understand if you say thank you in English, the majority will also be much more grateful if you make the effort to speak their own language. It shows respect for their culture as well as interest from your side, and that is priceless.
Photo: i_am_zews/Shutterstock
Luckily, you now know how to say thank you in 50 languages, and many of these languages are spoken in several countries, which means that you can express your gratitude in most countries worldwide.
My favorite moment for saying thank you in different languages than English or Swedish is currently when I said Terima Kasih to an old lady who had a simple restaurant in Jakarta.
She had lost many of her teeth but gave me the biggest smile you can imagine when I said thank you in Indonesian. She didn’t speak a single word of English. I also continued to compliment her food and told her that her sambal and tempeh was one of the best things I’ve eaten in my life, also in Indonesian, and her smile was priceless.
Here’s the old lady and Christine in Jakarta in her own little restaurant. Her daughter told us that this was one of the first times she was ever photographed in her life.
Which of these expressions for saying thank you in different languages did you like the most? Leave a comment below!