고마워
gomawo[ko̞ma̠wʌ̹]
The English phrase "thank you to a friend" is translated into Korean as 고마워 (gomawo).
고마워 is the simplest and most common way to express gratitude among friends and peers. You can emphasize your gratitude by saying 정말 고마워 (Thank you very much) or show a deeper level of gratitude among close friends by saying 진심으로 고마워 (Thank you sincerely).
Which one should you use?
Adding the suffix –요 to make 고마워요 creates a polite form. This polite version is safer to use if you are not extremely close to the person.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
고마워 is an informal way to say thank you and should be used only with close friends or people younger than you. For a standard and most common way to say thank you in Korean, 감사합니다 is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express "thank you for what you did" in the past tense to a friend, use the form 고마웠어.
How do you pronounce it?
gomawo
Did you know?
- The root of 고마워, 고맙다, is thought to be related to the ancient Korean word for 'god' or 'divine' beings. It originally carried a sense of feeling a debt toward a higher power.
- In Korea, close friends may avoid saying 고마워 too often because excessive gratitude can feel formal or distant, suggesting the bond is not deep enough to take favors for granted.
- While 고마워 is for friends, a Korean person might respond to a thank you with 아니야, which literally means 'no'. This is a cultural way of humbly denying that the favor was any trouble.
Examples in context
- 도와줘서 정말 고마워.dowajwoseo jeongmal gomawo.Thank you so much for helping me.
- 선물 정말 고마워!seonmul jeongmal gomawo!Thank you so much for the gift!
Example conversation
Subin returns a borrowed book to Dohyun.
- 수빈 Su-bin책 빌려줘서 고마워, 도현아.chaek billyeojwoseo gomawo, Dohyona.Thanks for lending me the book, Dohyun.
- 도현 Do-hyeon아니야, 괜찮아.aniya, gwaenchana.No problem, it's okay.
- 수빈 Su-bin정말 재미있게 읽었어.jeongmal jaemiitge ilgeosseo.I really enjoyed reading it.
- 도현 Do-hyeon다행이다!dahaeng-ida!I'm glad!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 고마워, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 고마워, CC BY-SA 4.0.
