ありがとう
arigatō[a̠ɾʲiɡa̠to̞ː]
To say thank you casually in Japanese, use ありがとう (arigatō).
ありがとう is the most common casual thank you, used with friends, family and people of equal or lower status.
Which one should you use?
どうも (dōmo) is a very short, casual thanks said in passing, less explicit than ありがとう. Dōmo arigatō is a slightly fuller version.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ありがとう and どうも are informal.
How does it change in a sentence?
ありがとう often stands alone or takes the particle ね, as in ありがとうね (arigatō ne), which makes it warmer and friendlier.
How do you pronounce it?
It is read arigatō, with a long o at the end.
Did you know?
- The casual ありがとう is so tied to social hierarchy that using it toward a boss or teacher can be perceived as an accidental insult or a claim of superiority.
- The word ありがとう originally meant something much more difficult, like 'hard to exist' or 'rare'. It shifted from describing a rare phenomenon to describing a feeling of gratitude for something precious.
- Despite sounding similar to the Portuguese word 'obrigado', ありがとう has no linguistic connection to it. Japanese speakers were using the phrase centuries before the Portuguese arrived in Japan in 1543.
Examples in context
- プレゼント、ありがとう！Purezento, arigatou!Thank you for the present!
- 手伝ってくれてありがとう。Tetsudatte kurete arigatou.Thank you for helping me.
- 教えてくれてありがとう。Oshiete kurete arigatou.Thank you for telling me.
Example conversation
Hina and Ren are sharing a snack.
- 陽葵 Himariこれ、食べる？Kore, taberu?Do you want some of this?
- 蓮 Renうん、ありがとう！Un, arigatou!Yeah, thanks!
- 陽葵 Himariおいしいよね。Oishii yo ne.It's delicious, isn't it?
- 蓮 Ren本当においしいね。Hontou ni oishii ne.It really is delicious.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ありがとう, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ありがとう, CC BY-SA 4.0.
