дя́кую
djákuju
In Ukrainian, 'thank you' can be expressed as дя́кую (djákuju). Wiktionary also lists дя́куємо (djákujemo) and спаси́бі (spasýbi).
Meaning: an expression of gratitude (intj)
Ways to say it
| Ukrainian | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| дя́кую | djákuju |
| дя́куємо | djákujemo |
| спаси́бі | spasýbi |
The most common way to express gratitude is through the verb-based forms like дя́кую or the noun-based form спаси́бі.
What does it mean word for word?
The word дя́кую literally means 'I thank (you)'. It is the first-person singular form of the verb meaning 'to thank'.
Which one should you use?
дя́кую is a verb-based expression, whereas спаси́бі is a noun-based expression, literally meaning 'a salvation'.
How does it change in a sentence?
Use дя́куємо instead of дя́кую if you are speaking on behalf of a group of people, as it means 'we thank (you)'.
How do you pronounce it?
djákuju
When do people say it?
When someone says дя́кую or спаси́бі, a common response is про́шу, which means 'you're welcome' or 'please'. Another common informal response is не за що, meaning 'it's nothing' or 'don't mention it'.
Did you know?
- While спаси́бі is used for gratitude, it shares a root with the word спаси́тель, meaning 'savior'. The phrase originally functioned as a short prayer asking God to save the person being thanked.
- The verb дя́кую comes from a root related to the Greek word diakonos, which means 'servant' or 'minister'.
- The response про́шу is a polite, shortened form of 'I beg/ask of you', which creates a subtle linguistic paradox where you are asking the person to 'please' accept your service after they have thanked you.
Examples in context
- Братику, спасибі тобі за допомогу!Brother, thanks to you for the help!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
