Thank in Different Languages
Discover 'Thank' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'thank' holds immense significance in expressing gratitude and appreciation in many cultures around the world. Its translation in different languages showcases the richness and diversity of human expression. For instance, in Spanish, 'thank you' is 'gracias', while in French, it's 'merci'. In Mandarin Chinese, the phrase is '谢谢' (xièxie), and in Japanese, it's 'ありがとう' (arigatō).
Translating 'thank' into various languages not only helps in cross-cultural communication but also provides insights into the unique cultural nuances of different societies. For example, in some African languages, a 'thank you' is often accompanied by a gesture, such as a nod or a bow, emphasizing the importance of non-verbal communication in expressing gratitude.
Understanding the translation of 'thank' in different languages can enrich our interactions and foster a deeper appreciation for the cultural diversity that exists in our world. Here are some translations of 'thank' in various languages to get you started on your linguistic and cultural journey.
Thank
Thank in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | dankie | ||
| The word 'dankie' comes from the Dutch 'dankje', which is used as an informal way to say 'thank you'. | |||
| Amharic | አመሰግናለሁ | ||
| The word "አመሰግናለሁ" ("thank") in Amharic literally translates to "I worship you". | |||
| Hausa | na gode | ||
| In Hausa, "na gode" is both used as an expression of gratitude, and to acknowledge receiving a gift or favor. | |||
| Igbo | daalụ | ||
| While "daalụ" is an Igbo word meaning "thank," it also carries a deeper connotation of "to show gratitude or appreciation for a kind gesture." | |||
| Malagasy | misaotra | ||
| The word "misaotra" in Malagasy is derived from the words "misa" (good) and "otra" (heart), signifying a "good heart" or gratitude. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | zikomo | ||
| Zikomo, a Nyanja word for 'thank you,' also means 'to praise' in the Tonga language. | |||
| Shona | ndatenda | ||
| In Shona, the expression ndatenda can also convey appreciation for something other than a favor received | |||
| Somali | mahadsanid | ||
| Mahadsanid can also be used to express appreciation for someone's effort regardless if something was gained. | |||
| Sesotho | kea leboha | ||
| The word 'kea leboha' in Sesotho is derived from the phrase 'kea lefa bohaho,' which means 'I give you a gift.' | |||
| Swahili | asante | ||
| The word 'asante' also means 'thankful' in Swahili, and its diminutive form 'ashukrani' means 'gratitude'. | |||
| Xhosa | enkosi | ||
| "Enkosi" is derived from the root "enkosi," meaning "chief" or "lord," expressing gratitude as a respectful acknowledgment of superiority. | |||
| Yoruba | o ṣeun | ||
| "O ṣeun" is a Yoruba word that can also mean "thank God" or "it is by God's grace." | |||
| Zulu | ngiyabonga | ||
| The Zulu word "ngiyabonga" derives from the verb "ukubonga" meaning "to give thanks". | |||
| Bambara | i ni ce | ||
| Ewe | akpe | ||
| Kinyarwanda | murakoze | ||
| Lingala | matondi | ||
| Luganda | okwebaza | ||
| Sepedi | leboga | ||
| Twi (Akan) | da ase | ||
Thank in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | شكرا | ||
| The word "شكرا" (thank) in Arabic originates from the root "ش ك ر" (to be grateful), and its literal meaning is "May God reward you". | |||
| Hebrew | להודות | ||
| The Hebrew word להודות (hodot) derives from the root ידה (yad) meaning "hand," and also means "to acknowledge" or "to confess." | |||
| Pashto | مننه | ||
| The word "مننه" in Pashto is derived from the Persian word "منّت" meaning "favor" or "obligation". | |||
| Arabic | شكرا | ||
| The word "شكرا" (thank) in Arabic originates from the root "ش ك ر" (to be grateful), and its literal meaning is "May God reward you". | |||
Thank in Western European Languages
| Albanian | falenderim | ||
| The word 'falenderim' is derived from the Turkish word 'müteşşekkirim' which means 'I am grateful' or 'I am thankful'. | |||
| Basque | eskerrik asko | ||
| The word "eskerrik asko" literally means "many thanks" in Basque. | |||
| Catalan | gràcies | ||
| "gràcies" derives from Latin "gratia" (grace), and is related to the English word "gratis" | |||
| Croatian | zahvaliti | ||
| The verb 'zahvaliti' is derived from the Slavic root '*val-', meaning 'power' or 'influence', and originally meant 'to express one's dependence on someone' | |||
| Danish | takke | ||
| The Danish word "takke" ("thank") originates from the Old Norse verb "þakka," meaning "to express gratitude" or "to show appreciation." | |||
| Dutch | bedanken | ||
| The word "bedanken" in Dutch, ultimately derived from "ban," also means "to dismiss, revoke, or cancel" | |||
| English | thank | ||
| The word "thank" originally meant "to think" and is related to the Old Norse word "þakka," meaning "thought" or "opinion." | |||
| French | remercier | ||
| In addition to expressing thanks, the French 'remercier' also means 'to dismiss (an employee)', highlighting the idea that gratitude can be both a reward and an end in itself. | |||
| Frisian | tankje | ||
| In the dialects spoken in the northern province of Friesland in the Netherlands, "tankje" can also mean "a piece of furniture on which you can put things" | |||
| Galician | grazas | ||
| The Galician word "grazas" comes from the Latin word "gratia", meaning "favor" or "kindness." | |||
| German | danken | ||
| The word "danken" is derived from the Old High German word "dankôn", which originally meant "to think" or "to recognize". | |||
| Icelandic | þakka | ||
| The Icelandic word "þakka" is cognate with the Old English word "þancian" and the Gothic word "þagkjan", all meaning "to think" or "to be grateful." | |||
| Irish | go raibh maith agat | ||
| The Irish phrase "go raibh maith agat" has its roots in Old Irish as a blessing of "may goodness be on you," or simply, "thank you." | |||
| Italian | grazie | ||
| Grazie derives from the Latin word 'gratia', meaning favour, kindness, or gratitude. | |||
| Luxembourgish | merci | ||
| "Merci" in Luxembourgish is an antiquated form of 'mercy', which in turn originated from the Latin "merces" (payment). | |||
| Maltese | grazzi | ||
| The word "grazzi" in Maltese, which means "thank", comes from the Siculo-Arabic word "gaddisi", meaning "mercy" or "blessing". | |||
| Norwegian | takke | ||
| The Norwegian word "takke" likely originates from the Proto-Germanic word "þankjan", which also means "to thank" in English. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | obrigado | ||
| The origin of the Portuguese word 'obrigado' is the Latin phrase 'obrigatus', meaning 'bound' or 'obligated'. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tapadh leibh | ||
| Possibly rooted in the ancient Gaelic phrase 'Tapadh leibh an là' | |||
| Spanish | gracias | ||
| "Gracias" in Spanish comes from the Latin word "gratia" meaning favor or grace. | |||
| Swedish | tacka | ||
| Tacka, cognate with English "thatch", also refers to a roof or other covering. | |||
| Welsh | diolch | ||
| It can be speculated that the word "diolch" is a shortening of the Welsh phrase "Duw i’ch helpo" (God help you). | |||
Thank in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | дзякуй | ||
| The word "дзякуй" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *dьkъ, which also meant "grace" or "favor". | |||
| Bosnian | hvala | ||
| "Hvala" originated from "hvaliti" meaning "to praise" | |||
| Bulgarian | благодаря | ||
| In its original sense, "благодаря" did not mean "to thank", but rather "in vain". | |||
| Czech | poděkovat | ||
| The word 'poděkovat' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *děkъ, meaning 'speech' or 'word'. | |||
| Estonian | tänan | ||
| "Tänan" is also a form of the verb "tänata" meaning "to fill or to be full". | |||
| Finnish | kiittää | ||
| "Kiittää" comes from the word "kiitos" and can also mean "confirm" or "assure". | |||
| Hungarian | köszönet | ||
| The Hungarian word "köszönet" originally meant "kiss the hand" as a sign of gratitude, but its meaning has since evolved to simply "thank". | |||
| Latvian | paldies | ||
| The Latvian word 'paldies' is a loanword directly borrowed from Lithuanian, where it is the plural of 'palda' - 'help'. | |||
| Lithuanian | ačiū | ||
| "Ačiū" is probably derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂eks- ("to ask, seek"), and is cognate with Latin "gratia" ("thanks, favor") and English "grace". | |||
| Macedonian | фала | ||
| The word "фала" (thank) has Slavic and Proto-Indo-European origins. | |||
| Polish | podziękować | ||
| The Polish word 'podziękować' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root '*deḱ-' meaning 'to show', and is cognate with the English word 'decent'. | |||
| Romanian | mulțumesc | ||
| Romanian "mulțumesc" derives from the Latin "multum tibi", originally meaning "much to you" or "very much". | |||
| Russian | благодарить | ||
| Благодарить can also mean to praise, to bless, to glorify | |||
| Serbian | захвалити | ||
| The verb "захвалити" shares its root with the noun "хвала" (praise), suggesting a connection between expressing gratitude and bestowing praise. | |||
| Slovak | poďakovať | ||
| The Slovak word "poďakovať" is cognate with the Russian word "благодарить" ("to thank") and the Old Church Slavonic word "подьковати" ("to reward"). | |||
| Slovenian | hvala | ||
| The word "hvala" in Slovenian is derived from "hvaliti," meaning to praise or commend. | |||
| Ukrainian | спасибі | ||
| "Спасибі" is derived from Old Church Slavonic "съпаси Богъ", meaning "may God save [you]", a phrase that in Ukrainian is used to bless someone who sneezes. | |||
Thank in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | ধন্যবাদ | ||
| The word "ধন্যবাদ" (thanks) can also mean "blessed" or "fortunate". | |||
| Gujarati | આભાર | ||
| "આભાર" can also refer to the goddess Lakshmi or a prayer of thanks. | |||
| Hindi | धन्यवाद | ||
| "धन्यवाद" (thank) derives from Sanskrit "धन्यवाद" (dhan-yavad), meaning "worthy of wealth". It also means "blessed" or "fortunate". | |||
| Kannada | ಧನ್ಯವಾದಗಳು | ||
| The Kannada phrase | |||
| Malayalam | നന്ദി | ||
| "നന്ദി" in Malayalam comes from the Sanskrit word "नन्दति" (nandati), meaning "to delight." It also refers to Lord Nandi, the sacred bull who symbolizes strength and protection within Shiva temples | |||
| Marathi | धन्यवाद | ||
| धन्यवाद, meaning 'thank' in Marathi, derives from Sanskrit 'dhanya', meaning 'wealth', signifying gratitude as an expression of wealth. | |||
| Nepali | धन्यवाद | ||
| The word "धन्यवाद" (''dhanyavaad'') derives from Sanskrit and is composed of three parts: "धन्य" (''dhanya''), "अव" (''ava''), and "आद" (''aad''), meaning "blessed," "down," and "respect" respectively, conveying the idea of "respectfully acknowledging a blessing." | |||
| Punjabi | ਧੰਨਵਾਦ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ස්තූතියි | ||
| It shares the same root word with ස්තුති (praise), meaning both convey a sense of admiration or appreciation. | |||
| Tamil | நன்றி | ||
| The word 'நன்றி' is derived from the root word 'நன்' meaning 'good', and is often used in a broader sense to express gratitude or appreciation. | |||
| Telugu | ధన్యవాదాలు | ||
| The word comes from Sanskrit and means “blessedness or worthiness.” | |||
| Urdu | شکریہ | ||
| Urdu "شکریہ" (shukriyah) ultimately derives from Persian "شکر" (shekar), "sugar," possibly referring to the sweetness of appreciation. | |||
Thank in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 谢谢 | ||
| 谢谢 is also a Chinese calligraphy term that refers to special thanks notes given to artists, calligraphers, and teachers. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 謝謝 | ||
| 謝謝 is composed of the characters for 'say' and 'thanks', but the second character also means 'end', hence its use for the last dish served in a Chinese meal, '謝飯'. | |||
| Japanese | 感謝 | ||
| "感謝" can also refer to a memorial service, or the act of showing gratitude for the deceased. | |||
| Korean | 감사 | ||
| 감사 is also used as a term of address for someone respected or in authority, and dates back to the Unified Silla period. | |||
| Mongolian | баярлалаа | ||
| In the Mongolian language, the word "баярлалаа" ("thank") can also be used to express gratitude, appreciation, or acknowledgment. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကျေးဇူးတင်ပါတယ် | ||
Thank in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | terima kasih | ||
| The word "terima kasih" literally means "receive respect" in Indonesian, reflecting the cultural importance of gratitude. | |||
| Javanese | matur nuwun | ||
| "Matur nuwun" is also used as a way to express gratitude, similar to saying "thank you". | |||
| Khmer | សូមអរគុណ | ||
| Lao | ຂອບໃຈ | ||
| The Lao word ຂອບໃຈ 'thank' also means 'mercy' and is cognate with the Thai word 'ขอบใจ', 'heart'. | |||
| Malay | terima kasih | ||
| The word "terima kasih" is derived from the Sanskrit word "tṛṣṇa kṣaya" meaning "quenching of thirst". | |||
| Thai | ขอบคุณ | ||
| ขอบคุณ (khob khun) is derived from the Pali and Sanskrit words for "merit" and "gratitude". | |||
| Vietnamese | cảm tạ | ||
| "Cảm tạ" means "thanks" in Vietnamese and originally meant "to receive favors". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | salamat | ||
Thank in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | təşəkkür edirəm | ||
| The word "təşəkkür edirəm" is related to the Arabic word "shukran," which also means "gratitude" or "thanks." | |||
| Kazakh | рахмет | ||
| In addition to meaning "thanks," the Kazakh word "рахмет" means "mercy" and "gratitude." | |||
| Kyrgyz | рахмат | ||
| The Kyrgyz word "рахмат" (thank) is derived from the Persian word "rahmat" (mercy). | |||
| Tajik | ташаккур | ||
| The word "ташаккур" comes from the Persian "تشکر" (tashkkor), meaning "appreciation, gratitude, or thanks" and is cognate with the Modern English "tax", which originally referred to a gift given to a lord in exchange for protection. | |||
| Turkmen | sag bol | ||
| Uzbek | rahmat | ||
| In Uzbek, the word "rahmat" also means "blessing" or "mercy," highlighting the cultural significance of gratitude and the interconnectedness of spiritual and social expressions. | |||
| Uyghur | رەھمەت | ||
Thank in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | mahalo | ||
| "Mahalo" originates from the Proto-Austronesian word "makasalo" or "mahalo, | |||
| Maori | whakawhetai | ||
| "Whakawhetai" stems from the Polynesian root "*faka-tagi" meaning "to call out" or "to praise". | |||
| Samoan | faafetai | ||
| In some Samoan dialects, 'faafetai' can also refer to a 'gift of thanks'. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | salamat | ||
| The Tagalog word "salamat" is derived from the Sanskrit word "shantimat", meaning "peaceful" or "tranquil". | |||
Thank in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | paychaña | ||
| Guarani | aguyjeme'ẽ | ||
Thank in International Languages
| Esperanto | dankon | ||
| The word "dankon" is derived from the French "donc" (therefore), and also means "you're welcome". | |||
| Latin | gratias ago | ||
| The prefix gra- in "gratias ago" is a derivative of the PIE root *ǵʰer- meaning "to desire" or "to love" | |||
Thank in Others Languages
| Greek | ευχαριστώ | ||
| "Ευχαριστώ" is the Greek word for "thank you," but its etymology derives from the words "ευ" (good) and "χάρις" (grace, favor), indicating a sense of gratitude and appreciation. | |||
| Hmong | ua tsaug | ||
| The word "ua tsaug" in Hmong can also mean "to show gratitude" or "to express appreciation". | |||
| Kurdish | sipaskirin | ||
| As a way of affirming gratitude, the Kurdish people of Turkey use the term "sipaskirin," an intriguing word with etymological links to a rich history. | |||
| Turkish | teşekkür | ||
| Teşekkür comes from the Persian words "tashakkor" (acknowledgement) and "kardan" (to do). | |||
| Xhosa | enkosi | ||
| "Enkosi" is derived from the root "enkosi," meaning "chief" or "lord," expressing gratitude as a respectful acknowledgment of superiority. | |||
| Yiddish | דאַנקען | ||
| The Yiddish word "דאַנקען" is cognate with the German "danken" and the English "think," both of which ultimately derive from the Proto-Indo-European root *tenk-. | |||
| Zulu | ngiyabonga | ||
| The Zulu word "ngiyabonga" derives from the verb "ukubonga" meaning "to give thanks". | |||
| Assamese | ধন্যবাদ | ||
| Aymara | paychaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | धन्यवाद | ||
| Dhivehi | ޝުކުރު | ||
| Dogri | धन्नवाद | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | salamat | ||
| Guarani | aguyjeme'ẽ | ||
| Ilocano | pagyamanan | ||
| Krio | tɛnki | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | سوپاس | ||
| Maithili | धन्यवाद | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯊꯥꯒꯠꯄ | ||
| Mizo | lawm | ||
| Oromo | galateeffachuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଧନ୍ୟବାଦ | ||
| Quechua | riqsikuy | ||
| Sanskrit | धन्यवादः | ||
| Tatar | рәхмәт | ||
| Tigrinya | ምስጋና | ||
| Tsonga | khensa | ||