How to Say “Thanks!” in Japanese

How do you say “Thanks!” in Japanese?

Today’s phrase is :

Thanks!

ありがとう!

 arigatou*

If you want to speak politely, you can say :

ありがとうございます!

 arigatou* gozaimasu

*We do not clearly pronounce the vowels in the middle and at the end of a word. We pronounce “arigatou” like “arigatō”.

Pronunciation

If you want to say “Thanks a lot!”, you can say :

本当にありがとう!

 hontouni arigatou*

*Do not pronounce the vowels in the middle. We pronounce “hontouni” like “hontōni”. “hontouni arigatou” sounds like “hontōni arigatō”.

“本当に (hontouni)” means “really”.