የቐንየለይ
yäx̣änyäläy
The English phrase "thank you" is expressed in Tigrinya as የቐንየለይ (yäx̣änyäläy). Wiktionary also lists የመስግነካ (yämäsgənäka).
Meaning: an expression of gratitude (intj)
Ways to say it
| Tigrinya | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| የቐንየለይ | yäx̣änyäläy |
| የመስግነካ | yämäsgənäka |
You use these expressions to convey gratitude. የቐንየለይ is the idiomatic way to say "thank you" in most daily interactions.
What does it mean word for word?
The word የቐንየለይ is derived from a root meaning "to be well" or "to be healthy," literally conveying the sentiment "may you be well" or "may it be well for me."
Which one should you use?
የቐንየለይ is the more common, idiomatic expression for "thank you" used in everyday conversation. In contrast, የመስግነካ is a more direct way of saying "I thank you."
How do you pronounce it?
yäx̣änyäläy
Did you know?
- The script used to write የቐንየለይ is called Ge'ez, which is one of the oldest writing systems still in active use in the world.
- Tigrinya is a Semitic language, meaning that the root of የቐንየለይ is distantly related to words for health and wellness in languages like Arabic and Hebrew.
- While የቐንየለይ is the standard for gratitude, in some contexts it is used as a polite way to decline an offer, similar to saying 'no thank you' in English.
Example sentences for Tigrinya are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Dawit gives Retsa a gift.
- ርእሳ Re'esaየቐንየለይ፣ ዳዊት!Yeqenyely, Dawit!Thank you, Dawit!
- ዳዊት Dawitብዘበብ እዩ።Bizebeb eyu.You are welcome.
- ርእሳ Re'esaእዚ ብጣዕሚ ይሕበበኒ።Ezi btami yihibeni.I like this very much.
- ዳዊት Dawitሕጉስ እየ።Higus iye.I am happy.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank you” translations and entries የቐንየለይ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
