How to Say “Thanks” in Cherokee

By Russell Isaac • Updated October 1, 2026

ᏩᏙ

wado

ᏩᏙ (wado) is the Cherokee way to say thanks.

This word is used to express appreciation or gratitude.

Meaning: used to express appreciation or gratitude (intj)

How do you pronounce it?

wado

Did you know?

The syllabary used to write ᏩᏙ was famously invented by Sequoyah in the early 1820s, a feat achieved without any prior knowledge of written languages.
The word ᏩᏙ is often used as a general greeting, similar to 'hello', in addition to expressing gratitude.
Because the Cherokee language is polysynthetic, more complex expressions of 'thank you' would involve building much longer words by adding prefixes and suffixes to the root.

Examples in context

ᏩᏙ.
wadó.
Thanks.

Example conversation

A gives B a small gift.

A

ᎯᎠ ᏂᎦᏓ ᎢᏳᎢ.
hi'a niga'da iyu'i
This is for you.
B

ᏩᏙ!
wado
Thanks!
A

ᎠᎩᎦᏓᎢ.
agigadai
You're welcome.
B

ᏩᏙ ᎢᏳᎢ.
wado iyu'i
Thank you for that.

Sources

Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry ᏩᏙ, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏

About The Author

Russell Isaac

Hi there, I'm Russell. When I'm not immersing myself in the beautiful Cherokee language (ᏣᎳᎩ ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᏗ), you can find me out exploring nature or capturing the colors of the sunset on canvas. I'm a passionate language enthusiast, guide to all wanting to learn Cherokee, and a bit of an outdoorsman. My hobbies include bird-watching (ᎯᎳᎳ or "hila"), tracking bison, and trying to congregate with black foxes. I also write guides on Choctaw, another Native American language of the Southeast that I love exploring alongside Cherokee. I'm here to help you navigate the intricacies of the Cherokee language - from the simplest of greetings to expressing grander concepts; who knows, you might end up having a "good day" (ᏚᎾᏕᏘᏯ) in Cherokee sooner than you think!

Russell IsaacHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.

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