How to Say Thank You in Japanese, From Arigatou to Otsukaresama

ありがとう [arigatou] is often the first Japanese word visitors learn, and the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) includes it in its list of basic phrases. But Japanese has several ways to say thank you, and the right one depends on who you are talking to and whether the favor is still happening or already done. This guide uses two official sources from Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs (文化庁), the government body in charge of language policy: its Guidelines on Keigo, and its latest national survey on how people actually use these words.

1. The three everyday forms

Why does adding ございます make it more polite? The Agency's guideline explains that です and ます are teineigo, polite language that adds courtesy toward the person you are speaking to. It then names (で)ございます as the same type of word with a higher degree of politeness. So ありがとうございます is not a different word; it is ありがとう with a polite ending attached.

As a traveler, you can safely default to ありがとうございます with shop staff, hotel staff, and anyone you do not know.

2. Present or past: gozaimasu or gozaimashita

The past form, ありがとうございました, thanks someone for something that is complete. The Agency's guideline shows it in exactly this role. In one of its worked examples, someone wants to thank a boss who stayed late to teach them. The guideline's suggested wording is:

• どうもありがとうございました。（大変助かりました。） [doumo arigatou gozaimashita. (taihen tasukarimashita.)] "Thank you very much. (That was a great help.)"

A practical way to use the split: say ありがとうございます when someone hands you something or while they are helping, and ありがとうございました as you leave a shop, a restaurant, or a hotel at the end of your stay.

The guideline also adds that a fixed phrase is not the only option. Saying something specific, such as that you are starting to understand the work thanks to the other person, can carry your gratitude just as well.

3. Why not gokurousama?

That same example in the guideline exists because the speaker first said どうも御苦労様でした [doumo gokurousama deshita] to the boss, and was laughed at. The guideline explains:

• 御苦労様 [gokurousama] expresses appreciation for someone's effort, and is basically used toward people who did work on your behalf, such as a delivery person. Because this kind of appreciation flows from a higher position to a lower one, the guideline advises against using it toward someone senior.
• お疲れ様 [otsukaresama] also expresses appreciation for effort, but it is widely used between people who worked together, such as colleagues greeting each other after a job. In a polite form like お疲れ様でございました [otsukaresama de gozaimashita], the guideline says it can be used toward anyone, including a boss.

For most travelers, neither word is essential. If you are unsure, ありがとうございました is never the wrong choice for a favor that is done.

4. What Japanese speakers actually say

The Agency's FY2024 survey (fieldwork January 14 to March 4, 2025, with 3,498 valid responses from people aged 16 and over) asked what people most often say to a delivery person of about their own age when the delivery is done:

The survey also notes that the share choosing ありがとう(ございました) falls with age, while 御苦労様 rises with age. Earlier rounds showed ありがとう trending up and 御苦労様 trending down, though the Agency cautions that results from before 2019 used a different method.

A second question asked what people say after finishing a job with a coworker who ranks above them. お疲れ様(でした) led at 77.1%, followed by ありがとう(ございました) at 16.5%.

5. Hearing thanks from staff

You will hear thanks constantly in Japanese shops, often in a longer, set form. The Agency's guideline discusses one of the most common:

• 御利用いただきましてありがとうございます。 [goriyou itadakimashite arigatou gozaimasu] Roughly, "Thank you for using our service."

The guideline treats both this and the variant 御利用くださいまして as correct, essentially interchangeable keigo. You do not need to say it yourself; just recognize it as the staff thanking you.

6. Responding when someone thanks or praises you

If someone compliments you, the guideline covers a phrase you may hear in reply to praise: とんでもございません [tondemo gozaimasen], a modest "Not at all." It notes some people object to the form, but concludes that using it to lightly brush off praise is now considered acceptable.

7. Key takeaways

• ありがとう is casual; ありがとうございます is the safe polite default for travelers.
• ございます is a higher-politeness ending, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
• Use ありがとうございました for help that is finished, such as when leaving a shop or hotel.
• The Agency advises against 御苦労様 toward someone senior; お疲れ様でございました works for anyone.
• In the Agency's latest survey, 70.0% thank a delivery person with ありがとう(ございました).