Here at Magoosh, our primary focus is the English language. However, we are fascinated by everything related to language — from linguistic origins to translation technology. More than anything, we believe in connecting people from all different backgrounds. One way to do this is to show kindness through language. So, what’s the easiest way to show kindness? Saying thank you, of course! In this guide, we will examine the origins of the term thank you, how it is used today, as well as how to say thank you in different languages — 100 to be exact!
The Origins of Saying Thank You
In English, the term ‘thank’ actually derives from the Latin term tongēre, which is more closely related to the word ‘think.’ In essence, the term first meant “I will remember what you did or have done for me.” Though this meaning differs somewhat from the modern conception of ‘thank you,’ it does resemble a form of gratitude.
Thank You: An Invention of the Middle Class
While it’s easy to trace the linguistic origins of thank you, it’s a little more complex to see when it came into popular use. Nonetheless, historians believe that the first use of ‘thank you’ or ‘thanks’ came about some time in the 12th century. However, it would take several hundred years before ‘thank you’ was widely used in multiple languages around the world. According to anthropologist David Graeber, terms like ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ were inventions of the middle class:
“The habit of always saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ first began to take hold during the commercial revolution of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries — among those very middle classes who were largely responsible for it. It is the language of bureaus, shops, and offices, and over the course of the last five hundred years it has spread across the world along with them. It is also merely one token of a much larger philosophy, a set of assumptions of what humans are and what they owe one another, that have by now become so deeply ingrained that we cannot see them.”
As trade developed around the world and cultures intermingled, the concept of showing gratitude or expressing one’s “debt” for another’s kindness took hold in many different languages. Though saying thank you began in a business setting, today, the concept of saying ‘thank you’ in response to a kind gesture is normal in most situations. However, just a few hundred years ago, it was still a relatively new concept!
Now that we have a better understanding of how ‘thank you’ came about, let’s look at how to say thank you in 100 languages! Whether you want to know how to say thank you in Tamil, thank you in Hindi, or thank you in Korean, we’ve got you covered!
How to Say Thank You in 100 Languages
To make things a little easier, we will divide this list into a few different sections. First, we will look at the most common languages in the world. Then, we will look at less common languages and divide them by region. Since many languages do not use the Roman alphabet or have different pronunciation systems, we will provide pronunciation using standard English pronunciation rules.
Additionally, it’s important to remember that some of these translations may not translate perfectly. For example, some of these examples show how to say thank you very much in different languages, while others are closer to a simple “thanks.” Nonetheless, you can be sure that this list is a great starting point for anyone who wants to learn how to say thank you in different ways!
So, without further ado, let’s find out how to say (and write) thank you in 100 languages!
How to say thank you in the 10 most common languages
All of the following languages each have at least than 200 million native speakers worldwide! Thus, learning how to say thank you in these languages could prove to be very useful. So, here are 10 ways to say thank you in different languages around the world:
- English: Thank you
- Mandarin Chinese: She-eh She-eh (謝謝)
- Hindi: Den-yee-niv-ahd (धन्यवाद)
- Spanish: Grah-see-us (Gracias)
- French: Mare-see (Merci)
- Arabic: Shuh-crahn-luh-come (شكرا لكم)
- Bengali: Hon-yuh-bahd (ধন্যবাদ)
- Russian: Spy-see-bah (Спасибо)
- Portuguese: Oh-bree-gah-doe (Obrigado)
- Indonesian: Teh-ree-mah kah-see (Terima kasih)
How to say thank you in European languages
Now that we’ve covered the most common languages in the world, let’s move on to some common languages by region. So, here are 30 ways to say thank you in different languages of Europe:
- German: Dahnk-uh (Danke)
- Turkish: Teh-sheh-coor ed-eh-duhm (Teşekkür ederim)
- Italian: Gratz-eh (Grazie)
- Ukrainian: Dya-koo-ee-you (Дякую)
- Polish: Djen-koo-eh-chee (Dziękuję Ci)
- Dutch: Dahnk-hyeh (Dank je)
- Romanian: Mool-tsoo-mesk (Mulțumesc)
- Czech: Deck-oo-you (Děkuju)
- Hungarian: Kuh-suh-nem (Köszönöm)
- Greek: Sahs-eef-ha-ree-stow (σας ευχαριστώ)
- Swedish: Tack (Tack)
- Bulgarian: Boh-gull-dah-ree-ah (Благодаря ти)
- Catalan: Grah-see-us (Gràcies)
- Danish: Tack-scale-do-have (Tak skal du have)
- Slovak: Jah-quee-ehm (Ďakujem)
- Finnish: Key-dose (Kiitos)
- Lithuanian: ah-chew (Ačiū)
- Galician: Grath-us (Grazas)
- Slovenian: Huh-vah-luh-vahm (Hvala vam)
- Latvian: Pahl-dee-es (Paldies)
- Basque: Eh-scare-ee-ask-oh (Eskerrik asko)
- Estonian: Ah-ee-tah (aitäh)
- Serbian: Hvall-uh-fahm (Хвала вам)
- Croatian: Hvall-uh-fahm (Hvala vam)
- Maltese: Grah-tsee (Grazzi)
- Welsh: Dee-olh (Diolch)
- Irish Gaelic: Gur-uv mee-la mah ah-guth (Go raibh maith agat)
- Scottish Gaelic: Tah-puh-lot (Tapadh leat)
- Albanian: Fah-lehm-mean-deh-reet (Faleminderit)
- Luxembourgish: Mare-see (Merci)
How to say thank you in African languages
Though it may seem like we’ve covered a lot of ways to say thank you in different languages, we’re not even halfway done! So, let’s see how to say thank you in different languages of Africa:
- Swahili: Ah-sahn-teh (Asante)
- Amharic: Ah-me-seh-gih-nah-leh-hu-ah (አመሰግናለሁ)
- Yoruba: Oh-soon (O ṣeun)
- Oromo: Gah-lah-tome (Galatoomi)
- Afrikaans: Dahn-key (Dankie)
- Hausa: Guhd-ee-ah (Godiya)
- Igbo: Dah-loo (Daalụ)
- Zulu: Gee-yah-bong-ah (Ngiyabonga)
- Shona: Dah-ten-duh (Ndatenda)
- Somali: Mah-sen-teh-hey (Mahadsan tahay)
- Berber: Ten-meers (ⵜⴰⵏⵎⵎⵉⵔⵜ.)
How to say thank you in Middle Eastern languages
Though Arabic is the most common language spoken in the Middle East, there are dozens of other languages and dialects throughout the region. So, here are 10 more ways to say thank you in different languages of the Middle East:
- Hebrew: Toe-dah (תודה)
- Kurdish: Su-pas (Spas)
- Persian: Moo-shoo-sha-kuh-rahm (متشکرم)
- Urdu: Ahv-gah-shoo-pree-ah (آپ کا شکریہ)
- Uzbek: Rah-hmat (رحمت)
- Baluchi: Mihn-not-wahr (منتوارون شومئ)
- Zazaki: Bear-who-dar (Berxudar)
- Dari: Tuh-shay-curr (.تشكر)
- Tajik: See-pose (сипос)
- Kurmanji: Su-pas (Spas)
How to Say Thank You in Asian Languages
Finally, we will take a look at how to say thank you in some of the most common languages across Southeast Asia and the Asian Subcontinent. So, here are 20 ways to say thank you in different languages of Asia:
- Malay: Ter-ee-mah kah-see (Terima kasih)
- Bangla: Hun-ya-bahd (ধন্যবাদ)
- Japanese: Ah-ree-gah-toe (ありがとう)
- Punjabi: Dahn-wahd (ਧੰਨਵਾਦ)
- Filipino: Sah-lah-maht (Salamat)
- Marathi: Dahn-ya-vahd (धन्यवाद)
- Korean: Gahm-sah (감사)
- Vietnamese: Cahm-uhn-bahn (cảm ơn bạn)
- Thai: khop-kuhn (ขอบคุณ)
- Kannada: Dahn-ya-vah-dah-gah-do (ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು)
- Gujarati: Ahb-har (આભાર)
- Malayalam: Nahn-dee (നന്ദി)
- Odia: Dahn-ya-bahd (ଧନ୍ୟବାଦ)
- Telugu: Dahn-ya-vah-dah-loo (ధన్యవాదాలు)
- Tamil: Nahn-ree (நன்றி)
- Burmese: Cheh-joo-tchen-bah-ray (ကျေးဇူးတင်ပါတယ်)
- Kashmiri: Shoo-kree-ah (शुकिया)
- Mongolian: Bah-yehr-la (баярлалаа)
- Khmer: Sohm ah-kuhn (សូមអរគុណ)
- Lao: Kawp-Jai (ຂອບໃຈ)
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this thank you in different languages list! While we have provided 100 ways to say thank you in different languages, this list just scratches the surface. Every language has its own unique ways to show gratitude. In any case, if you plan on traveling, make sure you know how to show gratitude and say thank you in the local language!
As always, for all things English conversation, grammar, or job-related, visit Magoosh Speaking today!
