Ways to say it
| Sanskrit | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| धन्यवाद | dhanyavāda | /dʱɐn.jɐ.ʋɑː.dɐ/ (Vedic) /d̪ʱɐn̪.jɐ.ʋɑː.d̪ɐ/ (Classical Sanskrit) |
|
| अनुगृहीतोऽस्मि | anugṛhītoʼsmi | ||
| अनुगृहीतास्मि | anugṛhītāsmi | feminine |
धन्यवाद is a widely recognized way to say thank you. For a more personal touch, you can express that you are personally obliged or indebted to someone using the anugṛhīta forms.
What does it mean word for word?
The word धन्यवाद is composed of dhanya, meaning blessed or fortunate and vāda, meaning saying or speech, which literally translates to a word of blessing.
Which one should you use?
While धन्यवाद is a standard noun-based expression for thank you, the forms अनुगृहीतोऽस्मि and अनुगृहीतास्मि are more personal, literally meaning I am indebted/obliged to you.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase अनुगृहीतोऽस्मि is a formal expression that carries a higher degree of humility than the standard धन्यवाद.
How does it change in a sentence?
The masculine form अनुगृहीतोऽस्मि is a sandhi combination of anugṛhītaḥ (obliged/favored) and asmi (I am). The feminine form अनुगृहीतास्मि is used by a female speaker to say I am obliged.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is dhanyavāda and the syllables are 4. The IPA is /dʱɐn.jɐ.ʋɑː.dɐ/.
Did you know?
- In many classical Sanskrit texts, gratitude is often conveyed through the concept of ऋण (ṛṇa), which means 'debt' or 'obligation', making the act of thanking a matter of balancing a cosmic ledger.
- While धन्यवाद is common today, the more traditional अनुगृहीतोऽस्मि describes a state of being 'favored' or 'graced' by another, reflecting a hierarchical social relationship of patronage.
- Sanskrit has separate forms for 'thank you' based on the gender of the speaker. A woman must use अनुगृहीतास्मि whereas a man uses अनुगृहीतोऽस्मि.
Examples in context
- सहयोगार्थं धन्यवादः।sahayogārthaṃ dhanyavādaḥ.Thank you for the cooperation.
Example conversation
Ishaan gives Meera a book.
- इशान Ishanमीरा, एतत् पुस्तकं गृह्यताम्।mīrā, etat pustakaṃ gṛhyatām.Meera, please take this book.
- मीरा Miraधन्यवाद, इशान!dhanyavāda, īśāna!Thank you, Ishaan!
- इशान Ishanस्वागतम्।svāgatam.You are welcome.
- मीरा Miraएतत् अतीव सुन्दरम् अस्ति।etat atīva sundaram asti.This is very beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank you” translations and entries धन्यवाद, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
