100+ Best Ways To Say Thank You In Different Languages + Audio

Learning a new language or visiting another country (or any country all around the world) would absolutely be less meaningful if you don’t know how to say ‘thank you’. As we all aware, thank you is a part of the most important expressions and gestures in a culture. It’s the thing that every cultural identity has, despite the geographical, educational, and racial differences. It’s something people say every day, no matter in what language.

It’s as simple as knowing how to say hello in different languages – it’s a basic phrase one needs to know to fully experience and understand the language of a foreign society. In today’s blog post, we’ll look at the unique ways to say thank you in 100 different languages. Let’s go!


Is It Important To Say Thank You?

Before we see the 100 ways of saying thank you in different languages, let’s see why it is so important. Why saying thank you is a must in daily life? Why has it become the culture of the people on Earth?

There are several reasons why saying thank you is important to all existing language communities around the world.

Serves As A Token Of Respect

thank you in multiple languages

Normalizing and living by the culture of saying thank you generously to people is a good habit. It depicts how you, as a non-native (especially in a foreign setting), highly respect the country and its citizens, striving to appreciate and use their language. This will not only shape the locals’ perspectives towards your personality; it also includes the idea and representation of your home country.

Way Of Showing Gratitude

Thank you

Saying thank you is ultimately essential because it’s the most apparent way of showing and proving that one is grateful. How to express that feeling of gratitude you have towards someone? Others buy gifts or do something nice in return, but articulating thank you is the most common thing to do.

Making Others Feel Good And Appreciated

Sometimes, you can never anticipate what good things await you, by just saying phrases like thank you. If you’re one to learn common phrases in different languages and use them with the locals, you can be the reason why they smile that day. When you say thank you to someone, especially a stranger, you make that person feel appreciated and acknowledged. Due to that, it makes people want to approach you more and maybe volunteer to do more for you in the future. And that could be the start of a whole new friendship, camaraderie, and harmony.


Thank You In 100 Different Languages

Now, let’s see what are the vocabulary we must know to say thank you in multiple languages all around the world.

LanguageWritten FormTransliteration/Pronunciation
Arabicشكراً لكshukraan lika
Chinese/Mandarin谢谢 Xièxiè
Croatianhvala vam
Czechděkuji 
Danishtak 
Dutchdank je
Englishthank you
Estonianaitäh
Esperantodankon
Finnishkiitos 
Frenchmerci 
Germandanke 
Greekευχαριστώefharisto
Hawaiian mahalo 
Hindiधन्यवाद|dhanyavaad
Indonesianterima kasih 
Italiangrazie 
Latvianpaldies
Norwegiantakk 
Polishdziękuję  Jenkoo-yeh
Portugueseobrigado masculine
obrigada  feminine 
Romanianmulţumesc mool-tzoo-MESK
Russiancпасибоspasìba
Spanishgracias –
Swahiliasante 
Turkishteşekkür ederim teh-shek-uer eh-der-eem
VietnameseCảm ơn anh.
Afrikaansdankie
Albanianfaleminderit
ArmenianՇնորհակալությունshnorhakalutyun
Bosnianhvala ti
Bulgarian благодаря blagodarya
Catalangràcies
Cantonese多 謝do1 je6
Hebrewתודה toda 
Hungarianköszönömkø-sø-nøm
Icelandictakk – informal
þakka þér – formal
Lebanese شكراً لكshukraan lika
Lithuanian ačiūAH-choo
MacedonianБлагодарамblagodaram (blah-GOH-dah-rahm)
Maltese grazzi
Mongolianбаярлалааbayarlalaa
Serbianxвала / Hvalahvala (HVAH-lah)
Slovenianhvala vam– 
Swedishtack
Tamilநன்றி nandri
Ukranian Дякую dyakuyu
Welshdiolch
Yiddishאַ דאַנקa dank
Zulungiyabonga
Algerianfaleminderit
Aragonese :Grazias
AzerbaijaniSağ ol
Basqueeskerrik asko
BelarusianДзякуйDziakuj
Bengaliধন্যবাদ।dhonnobad
Bretontrugéré
BuluAkeva
Burmeseေက်း ဇူး ပါkyay zu par
CebuanoSalamat
Chichewazikomo
Farsi / Persianمتشکرمmotešakeram
Fillipino / Tagalogsalamat
GalicianGrazas
Georgianგმადლობgmadlob
GujartiઆભારĀbhāra
Haitian Creolemèsi poutèt ou
Hausana gode
Igbodaalụ
Irishgo raibh maith agat 
Javanesematur nuwun
Kannadaನಿಮಗೆ ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳುnimage dhanyavaadagalu
Khmerអរ គុណ។Or kun
Laoຂໍຂອບໃຈທ່ານkhob chai than
Latingratias tibi ago
Malagasymisaotra
Malayalamനന്ദിnandi
MarathiDhanyawaadh
MikmakWelálin
Morébarka
NavajoAhéhee’
Nepaliधन्यवाद।dhanyawaad
Ojibwemiigwetch
Pashtomanana
Persianمتشکرم motshakeram
Punjabiਤੁਹਾਡਾ ਧੰਨਵਾਦ।tuhada dhanavad
Scottish Gaelictapadh leat
Slovakďakujem
Somaliwaad ku mahadsan tahay
Tajikrahmat
Teluguధన్యవాదాలుdhanyavādālu
Tongatualumba
UkrainianСпасибіdyakuyu
Urduآپ کا شکریہaap ka shukriya

How To Say Thank You In Other 10 Languages With Audio

1. Thank You In Thai

To say thank you in Thai, you would use the phrases:

Kop khun ka ( ขอบคุณค่ะ ) (female)

Kop khun krap (ขอบคุณครับ) (male)

Since this post has a heavy emphasis on being polite, we should also quickly cover how to be polite when speaking Thai. In essence, there are different ways of speaking based on who is being spoken to. 

If you you learn Thai, then you should know that there are also words that you can use to make sure what you say is understood in a more polite way. These words are ka (ค่ะ) for female speakers and krap (ครับ) for male speakers.

2. Thank You In Serbian

While there are several different ways to say thank you in Serbian, the most common way is to say:

Hvala vam ( Хвала вам ) 

This is a universal phrase that can be said by people of any gender, unlike Thai. This is the word you would say to the people you interact with within your daily life. You can say hvala vam to the grocery store worker who provided you with a high-quality service, or to your friends who bought you a gift. Being just one syllable, it shouldn’t be too long before you master the art of thanking your friends in Serbian.

3. Thank You In Tagalog (Filipino)

Next time you are staying in the Philippines, you can impress everyone you speak to by saying the Tagalog phrase for thank you:

Salamat

Due to the widespread use of English in the country, many people do not take the time to at least learn a few phrases in Tagalog. Try to make someone’s day by giving a smile while you use Tagalog to thank them for inviting you to their Filipino-style Christmas party. 

You should also be prepared with the more formal way to say thank you in Tagalog, which you would use with people older than you, or in a higher position. Don’t worry though, all it takes is adding Po after the regular word for saying thank you. Who said that learning Tagalog had to be difficult?

4. Thank You In Lithuanian

If you look up how to say thank you in Lithuanian, you will find many joking about how much it sounds like a sneeze. It is obvious to see why:

Ačiū

The unfortunate combination of the pronunciation and intonation of the word makes it resemble the sound of a sneeze (achoo). While it is amusing, we can use this to our advantage as a way to memorize the word. So, next time you are stopping in Vilnius, remember that they are not sneezing, they are just being polite. Just make sure you say gesundheit each time you hear it. Unless it was a real sneeze, that is.

5. Thank You In Japanese

I would imagine that many of the people reading who are fans of anime know that thank you in Japanese is:

Arigatou gozai masu ( ありがとうございます ) 

Here’s a fun fact: the phrase for thank you in Japanese is often written in Hiragana, which is one of the three main writing styles used for the language. In this longer form, it is more formal. The shorter version, Arigatou, is less formal but a bit more versatile, but that is a lesson for another day. For the majority of the time, you can’t go wrong with this tried and true phrase while you speak Japanese with others.

6. Thank You In Korean

The way to say thank you in Korean is:

Gamsahamnida ( 감사합니다 ) 

Like some of the other languages we have mentioned here, there are several different levels of formality in Korean, and this applies to the word for thank you too. While the form we have chosen is the more formal and polite version, it is generally the most common you will hear. At least you know that you will not offend anyone by using it.

Perfecting the pronunciation is a bit difficult as it is a bit of a tongue-twister (at least, it is for me) but with practice, you will be ready to say thanks to your favorite k-pop star for bringing you joy with their music. 

7. Thank You In Cantonese (Traditional Chinese)

Want to study Cantonese? Great, let’s start with the most common way to say thank you in the language:

Dor je ( 多謝 

Often overlooked, Cantonese has a long and interesting history that can only be understood with knowledge of the language itself. Often overshadowed by the more widely spoken Mandarin, it is a shame that more people don’t take the time to learn Cantonese. 

The next time you hear someone speaking Cantonese, use this phrase to say thanks. I would imagine they more often hear it in Mandarin when speaking with visitors, so having one say it in their tongue would be great for them.

8. Thank You In Khmer (Cambodian)

Just finished a tour around Angkor Wat and want to say thank you to your guide in Khmer? Use the phrase:

Aor-kun  អរគុណ។ 

That way, they will know that you appreciate their help and they will feel like they achieved something. You can do a sampeah (សំពះ) too, especially if they do one to you first. It is for reasons like this that learning even the little things like greetings in Khmer will go a long way. Not many people take the time to learn Khmer, so any time they hear a visitor speak, there may be a grateful smile. 

9. Thank You In Slovak

If you plan to make your way to the beautiful country of Slovakia, you should come prepared with the word for thank you:

Ďakujem

Ski resorts are a major attraction for visitors to Slovakia. The beautiful mountains make for a great getaway for those who enjoy skiing their troubles away. Give back to the people of the country by using the Slovak word for thank you where ever possible. It is easy to learn and, once you get the hang of it, it just slides off the tongue. Give it a try for yourself.

10. Thank You In Malay (Malaysian)

Do you know the way to say thank you in the Malay language? If you said this, then you are correct:

Terima kasih

There are many different reasons to make a stop in Malaysia during your trip to Southeast Asia. It is made all the better by learning Malay. Everyone has a pretty good understanding of English, but try to use some Malay words from time to time to show some respect and appreciation for their language and culture. 

If you hear someone say thank you in Malay to you, you can reply with the phrase sama-sama, which would be understood as you’re welcome.

Stay Polite

If there is just one word or phrase you should learn in a language, it should be thank you. Now that we have covered how to say it in 10 different languages, you should be well prepared when you next stumble upon a local in either of these countries. It may take a little while to perfect the pronunciation and, in some cases, the tone, you should soon be able to say thank you like a true local.

Learn How To Say Words And Phrases In Different Languages

It’s interesting how all cultures all around the world have many different ways of saying the same thing. Some even sound the same, like Malay terima kasih and Indonesian terima kasih. Though these words may sound different when spoken, the original word is equal from one another. Now you know how to say thank you in different languages, you can learn more.

Know what are the other basic phrases, expressions, and vocabulary in any language you prefer through Ling App. Ling can teach you how to speak different languages, understand its words, phrases, expressions, sentences and so much more. Have fun learning new languages with Ling App.

Learn how to say thank you in 12 different languages with the Ling app

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