Ways to say it
| Vietnamese | IPA |
|---|---|
| cám ơn nhiều | |
| cảm ơn nhiều (ông, bà, cô, anh, chị, em, quí vị) | |
| cám ơn rất nhiều | [kaːm˧˦ ʔəːn˧˧ zət̚˧˦ ɲiəw˨˩] (Hà Nội, narrow) [kaːm˦˧˥ ʔəːŋ˧˧ ʐək̚˦˧˥ ɲiw˦˩] (Huế, narrow) |
These phrases are used to convey a greater level of gratitude than the standard "thank you".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase cám ơn nhiều is composed of cám ơn (to thank) and nhiều (much/many).
Which one should you use?
While cảm ơn is the standard way to say "thank you", cảm ơn rất nhiều is used when you want to express a significantly higher level of gratitude. The phrase cám ơn nhiều is often used in more casual or abbreviated contexts, such as text messaging or quick spoken exchanges.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Vietnamese, it is grammatically natural and polite to insert a kinship pronoun after cảm ơn to specify whom you are thanking, such as in the form cảm ơn nhiều (ông, bà, cô, anh, chị, em, quí vị). Furthermore, adding rất before nhiều in the phrase cảm ơn rất nhiều intensifies the meaning from "much" to "very much".
Did you know?
- In Vietnamese culture, thanking someone too frequently in a close relationship can sometimes be seen as creating distance, as gratitude is often implied through shared bonds.
- The word cám in cám ơn can also mean 'bran' or 'husk', referring to the outer layer of a grain of rice.
- When using cảm ơn cô to thank a woman, you might actually be addressing her as 'teacher' rather than a familial title.
Examples in context
- Cảm ơn rất nhiều vì đã giúp tôiThank you very much for helping me
- Xin chân thành cám ơn sự hướng dẫn của anh/chịI sincerely thank you for your guidance
- Cảm ơn nhiều vì đã đến dự sinh nhật của tôiThank you very much for coming to my birthday party
- Cảm ơn một triệu lần vì đã mua quà cho tôiThank you a million times for buying me a gift
- Cám ơn nhiều vì món quà.Thank you very much for the gift.
Example conversation
Minh helps Hương carry heavy bags to her car.
- MinhĐể anh xách giúp cho.Let me carry these for you.
- HươngCám ơn nhiều, Minh!Thank you very much, Minh!
- MinhKhông có gì đâu.It's nothing.
- HươngAnh tốt quá.You are so kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank you very much” translations and entries cám ơn rất nhiều, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bà, cám, cô, cảm, nhiều, ơn, CC BY-SA 4.0.
