спаси́бо
spasíbo
The English phrase "thank you" is expressed in Russian as спаси́бо (spasíbo). Wiktionary also lists благодарю́ (blagodarjú) and мерси́ (mersí).
Meaning: an expression of gratitude (intj)
Ways to say it
| Russian | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| спаси́бо | spasíbo | |
| благодарю́ | blagodarjú | |
| мерси́ | mersí | colloquial |
The most common and widely used way to say "thank you" in Russian is спаси́бо. To emphasize gratitude, you can say Спасибо большое.
What does it mean word for word?
The word спаси́бо is etymologically derived from спаси Бог, meaning "may God save [you]".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
спаси́бо is the standard, most common way to say thank you, whereas благодарю́ is more formal and elegant. мерси́ is a borrowed French loanword used in informal, often slightly playful or stylized speech.
How do you pronounce it?
spasíbo
When do people say it?
The most common response to спаси́бо is пожа́луйста, which also means "please". не за что is a common informal way to respond to a thank you, literally meaning "there is nothing for [which to be thanked]".
Did you know?
- Using мерси́ in a Russian sentence can make you sound like a character from a 19th-century period drama or a slightly ironic socialite.
- The formal word благодарю́ literally means 'I give you a blessing' or 'I give you goodness' as благо means 'good' and дар means 'gift'.
- If you respond to a thank you with не за что, you are telling the person that their request was so small that it was 'not for anything'.
Example sentences for Russian are not verified yet.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thank you” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
