philámayaye
In Lakota, "thank you" is said as philámayaye. Wiktionary also lists philámayayapi.
Meaning: an expression of gratitude (intj)
Ways to say it
| Lakota |
|---|
| philámayaye |
| philámayayapi |
The phrase is used to express gratitude toward another person.
What does it mean word for word?
The word philámayaye is composed of a root meaning "to thank" and a suffix that indicates the subject is the first person singular, "I".
Which one should you use?
philámayaye is used when a single person is saying "I thank you", whereas philámayayapi is the plural version used when a group of people is expressing gratitude collectively as "We thank you".
How does it change in a sentence?
philámayayapi is the plural form of the expression, used to change the subject from "I" to "we".
Did you know?
- In many Lakota traditions, gratitude is often expressed through the concept of a 'gift' rather than just a verbal phrase, as giving is seen as a physical manifestation of thanks.
- The phrase philámayaye is not a combination of words but a single complex word built from several meaningful parts, a feature of polysynthetic languages.
- Using the plural philámayayapi is not just for when people are physically present, but can be used to include one's ancestors or family in the gratitude.
Examples in context
- Philámayaye, wašté lo.Thank you, it is good.
Example conversation
Rose gives Darrell a piece of fruit.
- RoseTȟóka tȟéya.Here is a berry.
- DarrellPhilámayaye, Rose.Thank you, Rose.
- RoseWíŋyaŋ wašté.A good woman.
- DarrellHáŋya.Indeed.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank you” translations and entries philámayaye, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
