How to Say Thank You in 20 Languages

If you only learn two words in someone's language, make them hello and thank you. Hello opens the conversation. Thank you is what people remember afterwards.

Here are twenty ways to say it, with rough pronunciations written for English speakers. They're approximations, so treat them as a starting point and let a native speaker correct you.

Europe

• Gracias (Spanish): GRAH-see-ahs. In most of Latin America and parts of Spain the "c" sounds like "s".
• Merci (French): mehr-SEE. Add beaucoup (boh-KOO) for "thank you very much".
• Danke (German): DAHN-kuh. Danke schön is the warmer version.
• Grazie (Italian): GRAHT-see-eh. Double the warmth with grazie mille, "a thousand thanks".
• Obrigado or Obrigada (Portuguese): oh-bree-GAH-doo. Men say obrigado and women say obrigada, so you use the one that matches you, not the person you're thanking.
• Dziękuję (Polish): jen-KOO-yeh. Friends often say dzięki (JEN-kee) instead.
• Спасибо (Russian): spah-SEE-bah. Works in every situation.
• Tack (Swedish): tahk. Short, and used constantly.
• Ευχαριστώ (Greek): ef-hah-ree-STO. A good one to try out loud, because Greeks tend to love hearing it.

Asia

• ありがとう (Japanese, arigatō): ah-ree-gah-toh. Add ございます (gozaimasu) to make it polite, which is the safer choice with someone you've just met.
• 감사합니다 (Korean, gamsahamnida): gahm-sah-hahm-nee-dah. The standard polite form.
• 谢谢 (Mandarin, xièxie): shyeh-shyeh. Two quick syllables, and the same word twice.
• धन्यवाद (Hindi, dhanyavaad): dhun-yuh-VAAD. In everyday speech, many people say शुक्रिया (shukriya), which sounds a bit softer.
• Cảm ơn (Vietnamese): roughly "kahm UHN". Tones matter, but people will work out what you mean from context.
• ขอบคุณ (Thai, khop khun): kawp-KOON. Finish with ครับ (khrap) if you're a man or ค่ะ (kha) if you're a woman.

Middle East, Turkey and Africa

• شكرا (Arabic, shukran): SHOOK-rahn. Understood almost everywhere Arabic is spoken.
• Teşekkür ederim (Turkish): teh-shek-KEWR eh-deh-rim. The full, polite form. Friends often say just sağ ol (sah ohl).
• תודה (Hebrew, toda): toh-DAH. Often followed by רבה (raba), "a lot".
• Asante (Swahili): ah-SAHN-teh. Add sana (SAH-nah) for "thank you very much".
• Dank je (Dutch): dahnk yuh. Informal. Bedankt (buh-DAHNKT) is a slightly more general alternative.

I've put Dutch here because it didn't fit anywhere else, and that's a fair sign that lists like this are never quite finished.

A few small things that make thanks land

Say thank you and then say what for. "Gracias, that recommendation was perfect" means more than "gracias" on its own, and it gives the other person something to reply to.

Copy the level of formality you're hearing. If someone writes to you in a relaxed, casual way, a relaxed thank you is fine. If they're formal, match it.

And don't worry about getting it perfect. People notice the effort far more than the accent. A slightly wrong "arigatō" from a stranger is usually received as a small gift.

If you've not started the conversation yet, 20 Ways to Say Hello in Different Languages is the natural place to begin.