Danny Newman
Wondering how to say thank you in different languages? I hope this post helps!
I always try to memorize a few words of the local language when I’m travelling.
Partly for the practical benefits of being able to communicate more effectively.
Partly because it feels like the right thing to do.
And partly because it often endears you to the people who live there!
Of the many words to learn, though, “thank you” has to be one of the most important.
A universal expression of gratitude, knowing how to say thank you in different languages is a great way to make the locals smile and enjoy goodwill all-around.
The tricky part can be finding the right words for thank you in the first place!
With that in mind, I decided to compile a comprehensive list of ways to say thank you in every single country around the world.
Sound good? Let’s dive in…
here we go then: how to say thank you in other languages and countries around the world!
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How to Say Thank You in Different Languages
There are a few quick things to mention before I get into the list:
1. When I say “every single country”, I mean the 195 countries recognised by the United Nations as of 2021.
2. I’ve tried to include the pronunciations too. However, having never visited the majority of these countries, they’re only an approximation! Likewise, there are instances where I couldn’t find the correct phonetics online, so I left them out. Apologies in advance if this causes any inconvenience.
3. Many countries have more than one official language and some have dozens of national languages as well, each presumably with its own word for “thank you”. Burkino Faso, for example, has around 70 of them!
For the sake of simplicity (and my sanity), I’ve limited this post (with the occasional exception) to how to say thank you in the official language(s). Once again, apologies for any inconvenience.
4. I’ve done my best to be accurate, but please let me know in the comments if you spot any errors or omissions!
5. A quick key:
- The word for thank you: Bolded
- Pronunciation/phonetics: “In speech marks”
- Language: Italicized
And now, without further ado, here’s how to say thank you in different languages around the world:
1. Afghanistan
– Tašakor (Dari) or Manana (Pashto)
2. Albania
– Faleminderit (“fah-leh-meen-deh-reet”) (Albanian)
3. Algeria
– Saha (Arabic)
4. Andorra
– Gràcies (“grah-syuhs”) (Catalan)
5. Angola
– Obrigado (“oh-bree-gah-do”) (Portuguese)
6. Antigua and Barbuda
– Thank you (English)
7. Argentina
– Gracias (“grah-see-ahs”) (Spanish)
8. Armenia
– Merci (“mehr-see”) (French) or shnorhakalut’yun (Armenian)
9. Australia
– Thank you or “Cheers” (English)
10. Austria
– Danke (“dan-kuh”) (German)
11. Azerbaijan
– Çox sağ olun/Çox sağ ol (“chok-sahg-ho-lun”/ “chok-sahg-ho”) (Azerbaijani)
12. Bahamas
– Thank you (English)
13. Bahrain
– Shukran (“shuk ran”) (Arabic)
14. Bangladesh
– Dhonnobad (“duh-HON-oh-bahd”) (Bengali)
15. Barbados
– Thank you (English) or Tank ya (Local Bajan dialect)
16. Belarus
– Dzya-kuy (Belarusian) or Spasibo (“Spah-see-bah”) (Russian)
17. Belgium
– Merci (French) or Dank u (Dutch) or Danke (German)
18. Belize
– Thank you (English)
19. Benin
– E Dupe (Yoruba) or Thank you (English) or Merci (French)
20. Bhutan
– Kaadinchhey la (“kadrin-chey-la”) (Dzongkha/Bhutanese)
“Yuspagara” is one example of how thank you in many languages can be a bit of a mouthful!
21. Bolivia
– Gracias (Spanish) or Yuspagara (Aymara)
22. Bosnia and Herzegovina
– Hvala (“hvah-lah”) (Bosnian)
23. Botswana
– Ke a leboga (Tswana) or Thank you (English)
24. Brazil
– Obrigado (“oh-bree-gah-do”) (Brazilian Portuguese)
25. Brunei
– Terima Kasih (Malay)
26. Bulgaria
– Blagodaria (Bulgarian) or Merci (French; informal/slang)
27. Burkina Faso
– Merci (French) or Y Barka (Mossi)
28. Burundi
– Urakoze (Kirundi; addressing one person) or Murakose (Kirundi; more than one person) or Merci (French) or Thank you (English)
29. Cabo Verde
– Obrigado (Portuguese)
30. Cambodia
– Au kun (“ar-koon”) (Khmer)
31. Cameroon
– Merci (French) or Thank you (English)
32. Canada
– Thank you (English) or Merci (French)
33. Central African Republic
– Merci (French) or Singuila (Sango)
34. Chad
– Shukran (“shuk-rahn”) (Arabic) or Merci (French)
35. Chile
– Gracias (Spanish)
36. China
– Xie Xie (“syeh-syeh”) (Mandarin) or Doh je (“daw-djyeh”; Cantonese; when offered a gift) or M goi (“mm goy”; Cantonese; in return for a favour/service)
37. Colombia
– Gracias (Spanish)
38. Comoros
– Shukran (“shuk ran”) (Arabic) or Merci (French)
39. Congo
– Merci (French) or Melesi (Lingala)
40. Costa Rica
– Gracias (Spanish)
From Hvala to Yegeniyeley, it’s amazing how thank you in different languages can sound so different!
41. Croatia
– Hvala (“hvah-lah”) (Croatian)
42. Cuba
– Gracias (Spanish)
43. Cyprus
– Efkharisto (“ef-hah-risto”) (Greek Cypriot) or Tesekkur (Turkish Cypriot)
44. Czech Republic
– Děkuji (“dye-kooyi”) (Czech)
45. Côte d’Ivoire
– Merci (French)
46. Denmark
– Tak (Danish)
47. Djibouti
– Shukran (Arabic) or Merci (French)
48. Dominica
– Thank you (English)
49. Dominican Republic
– Gracias (Spanish)
50. Democratic Republic of Congo
– Merci (French) or Melesi (Lingala)
51. Ecuador
– Gracias (Spanish)
52. Egypt
– Shukran (Arabic)
53. El Salvador
– Gracias (Spanish)
54. Equatorial Guinea
– Gracias (Spanish) or Merci (French) or Obrigado (Portuguese)
55. Eritrea
– Yegeniyeley (“yeh-yen-yeh-lay”) (Tigrinya)
56. Estonia
– Tänan (“ta-nahn”) or aitäh (Estonian)
57. Eswatini
– Ngiyabonga (Swati) or Thank you (English)
58. Ethiopia
– Amesegenalehu (“Ah-muh-seguhn-ar-lahoo”) (Amharic)
59. Fiji
– Vinaka (“vin-ah-ka”) (Fijian)
60. Finland
– Kiitos (“Kee-tosh”) (Finnish)
For travellers, being able to say thanks in many languages always comes in handy.
61. France
– Merci (French)
62. Gabon
– Merci (French) or Abora (Fang)
63. Gambia
– Thank you (English) or Jërejëf (Wolof) or Abaranka (Mandinka)
64. Georgia
– Madloba (“mad-lo-ba”) (Georgian)
65. Germany
– Danke (German)
66. Ghana
– Thank you (English) or Medaase (“me-daa-si”) (Twi)
67. Greece
– Efharisto (Greek)
68. Grenada
– Thank you (English)
69. Guatemala
– Gracias (Spanish)
70. Guinea
– Merci (French)
71. Guinea-Bissau
– Obrigado (Portuguese)
72. Guyana
– Thank you (English)
73. Haiti
– Merci (French) or Mesi (Haitian Creole)
74. Holy See
– Gratias tibi (Latin) or Grazie (Italian)
75. Honduras
– Gracias (Spanish)
76. Hungary
– Köszönöm (“kuh-suh-nurm”) (Hungarian)
77. Iceland
– Takk fyrir (“Tahk-fear-ick”) (Icelandic)
78. India
– Dhanyvad (“Duh-hanyi-bahd”) (Hindi) or Thank you (English)
79. Indonesia
– Terima Kasih (Indonesian) or Matur Nuwun (Javanese)
80. Iran
– Merci (French; informal) or Mam’noon (Persian/Farsi)
Of all the way to say thanks in different languages, “Shukran”, in Arabic, is one of the most common.
81. Iraq
– Shukran (Arabic) or Supas (Kurdish)
82. Ireland
– Thank you (English) or Go raibh maith agat (“guh-ruh-mah-agut”) (Irish)
83. Israel
– Toda (“toh-dah”) (Hebrew)
84. Italy
– Grazie (Italian)
85. Jamaica
– Thank you (English) or Thenk yuh (Jamaican Patois)
86. Japan
– Arigatou (“ah-ree-gah-to”) (Japanese)
87. Jordan
– Shukran (Arabic)
88. Kazakhstan
– Rakhmet (Kazakh)
89. Kenya
– Asante (Swahili) or Thank you (English)
90. Kiribati
– Kambati (Kiribati) or Thank you (English)
91. Kuwait
– Shukran (Arabic)
92. Kyrgyzstan
– Rakhmat/Rahmat (Kyrgyz)
93. Laos
– Khop Chai (Lao)
94. Latvia
– Paldies (“Pahl-dyehs”) (Latvian)
95. Lebanon
– Šukran (“Shuk-rahn”) (Lebanese Arabic) or Merci (French) or Thank you (English)
96. Lesotho
– Ke a Leboha (Southern Sotho or Sesotho) or Thank you (English)
97. Liberia
– Thank you (English)
98. Libya
– Shukran (Arabic)
99. Liechtenstein
– Danke (German)
100. Lithuania
– Ačiū (“Ah-choo”) (Lithuanian)
Struggling to learn how to say thanks in other languages? Learning merci, danke, gracias, shukran, and obrigado should mean you can get by in most countries!
101. Luxembourg
– Merci (Luxembourgish and French) or Danke (German)
102. Madagascar
– Misaotra (Malagasi) or Merci (French)
103. Malawi
– Thank you (English) or Zikomo (Chichewa)
104. Malaysia
– Terima Kasih (Malay)
105. Maldives
– Shukuriyaa (Dhivehi)
106. Mali
– Merci (French) or I ni cé (Bambara)
107. Malta
– Thank you (English) or Grazzi (Maltese)
108. Marshall Islands
– Koṃṃool (Marshallese) or Thank you (English)
109. Mauritania
– Shukran (Arabic)
110. Mauritius
– Merci (French) or Thank you (English)
111. Mexico
– Gracias (Spanish)
112. Micronesia
– Thank you (English) or Kinisou (Chuukese) or Kalahngan/Menlau (Pohnpeian)
113. Moldova
– Mulţumesc (“mul-tsu-mesk”) (Romanian)
114. Monaco
– Merci (French)
115. Mongolia
– Bayarlalaa (Mongolian)
116. Montenegro
– Hvala (“Hvah-lah”) (Montenegrin)
117. Morocco
– Shokran (Arabic)
118. Mozambique
– Obrigado (Portuguese) or Kanimambo (Changana)
119. Myanmar
– Kyay Zuu (Burmese)
120. Namibia
– Thank you (English) or Dankie (Afrikaans)
Want to set yourself a challenge? Why not learn how to say thank you in 100 languages?!
121. Nauru
– Tubwa kor (Nauruan) or Thank you (English)
122. Nepal
– Dhanyabād (“Dhan-ya-baa-d”) (Nepali)
123. Netherlands
– Dank u (Dutch)
124. New Zealand
– Thank you (English) or Kia Ora (Te Reo Māori)
125. Nicaragua
– Gracias (Spanish)
126. Niger
– Merci (French), or Shukran (Arabic) or Na gode (Hausa)
127. Nigeria
– Thank you (English) or Na gode (Hausa) or E Dupe (Yoruba)
128. North Korea
– Go map seum ni da (Korean)
129. North Macedonia
– Blagodaram (“Blah-go-dah-rahm”) (Macedonian) or Faleminderit (Albanian)
130. Norway
– Takk (Norwegian)
131. Oman
– Shukran (Arabic) or Thank you (English)
132. Pakistan
– Shukriyah (Urdu) or Thank you (English)
133. Palau
– Ke kmal Mesaul (“Kuh-kuhmowl-meh-sowl”) (Formal; Palauan) or Ke Mesulang (“Kuh-meh-soo-lahng”) (Informal; Palauan) or Thank you (English)
134. Panama
– Gracias (Spanish)
135. Papua New Guinea
– Tenkyu (Tok Pisin) or Thank you (English)
136. Paraguay
– Aguyje (“Ah-we-JAY”) (Paraguayan Guarani) or Gracias (Spanish)
137. Peru
– Yuspagara (Aymara) or Gracias (Spanish)
138. Philippines
– Salamat (Filipino) or Thank you (English)
139. Poland
– Dziękuję (“Jen-koo-yea”) (Polish)
140. Portugal
– Obrigado (Portuguese)
Knowing how to say thank you in different countries is always an advantage for a traveller. Here’s how to say it Qatar…
141. Qatar
– Shukran (Arabic)
142. Romania
– Mulţumesc (“mul-tsu-mesk”) (Romanian)
143. Russia
– Spasibo (Russian)
144. Rwanda
– Murakoze (“Moo-rah-ko-ze”) (Kinyarwanda) or Thank you (English) or Merci (French)
145. Saint Kitts & Nevis
– Thank you (English)
146. Saint Lucia
– Thank you (English)
147. Samoa
– Fa’afetai (Samoan) or Thank you (English)
148. San Marino
– Grazie (Italian)
149. Sao Tome & Principe
– Obrigado (Portuguese)
150. Saudi Arabia
– Shukran (Arabic) or Thank you (English)
151. Senegal
– Jërejëf (“je-re-jef”) (Wolof) or Merci (French)
152. Serbia
– Hvala (“hvah-lah”) (Serbian)
153. Seychelles
– Thank you (English) or Merci (French) or Mehsi (Seychellois Creole)
154. Sierra Leone
– Thank you (English) or Tenki (Krio)
155. Singapore
– Thank you (English) or Terima Kasih (Malay) or Xie Xie (Mandarin) or Nandri (Tamil)
156. Slovakia
– Ďakujem (“JAH-koo-yehm”) (Slovak)
157. Slovenia
– Hvala (“hvah-lah”) (Slovenian)
158. Solomon Islands
– Thank you (English) or Tanggio (Pijin)
159. Somalia
– Mahadsanid (Somali)
160. South Africa
– Ngiyabonga (“Gee-ah-bon-gah”) (Zulu) or Enkosi (Xhosa) or Dankie (Afrikaans) or Thank you (English)
Looking for ways to say thank you in South Korea? The same as North Korea, you could say: “Go map seum ni da”.
161. South Korea
– Go map seum ni da (Korean)
162. South Sudan
– Thank you (English)
163. Spain
– Gracias (Spanish)
164. Sri Lanka
– Sthoo-thi (“Stoo-tee”) (Sinhala) or Nandri (Tamil)
165. St. Vincent & Grenadines
– Thank you (English)
166. State of Palestine
– Shukran (Arabic) or Eeslamu (Arabic)
167. Sudan
– Shukran (Arabic) or Thank you (English)
168. Suriname
– Grantangi (Sranan) Danke je (Dutch)
169. Sweden
– Tack (Swedish)
170. Switzerland
– Danke (German) Merci or (French) or Grazie (Italian) or Grazia (Romansh)
171. Syria
– Shukran (Arabic)
172. Tajikistan
– Sipos (Tajik)
173. Tanzania
– Asante (Swahili) or Thank you (English)
174. Thailand
– Guys say: kòp kun kráp (Thai); Girls say: kòp kun kâ (Thai)
175. Timor-Leste
– Obrigado (Portuguese) or Obrigadu/a (Tetum)
176. Togo
– Merci (French) or La’balle (Kabiyé) or Akpe (Ewe)
177. Tonga
– Malo (“Maah-low”) (Tongan)
178. Trinidad and Tobago
– Thank you (English)
179. Tunisia
– Shokrun (Arabic) or Yaishek (Tunisian Arabic)
180. Turkey
– Teşekkür ederim (“Te-sheh-kur-ed-eh-rim”) (Turkish)
We’re nearly at this end of this list of thank you’s in different languages. I hope you’ve found it useful!
181. Turkmenistan
– Sagbolun (“Sah-boe-luhn”) (Turkmen)
182. Tuvalu
– Fakafetai (Tuvaluan) or Thank you (English)
183. Uganda
– Asante (Swahili) or Thank you (English) or Webale (“way-vah-lee”) (Lugandan)
184. Ukraine
– Dyakuyu (Ukrainian)
185. United Arab Emirates
– Shukran (Arabic)
186. United Kingdom
– Thank you (English)
187. United States
– Thank you (English)
188. Uruguay
– Gracias (Spanish)
189. Uzbekistan
– Rahmat (Uzbek)
190. Vanuatu
– Tangkyu (Bislama) or Thank you (English) or Merci (French)
191. Venezuela
– Gracias (Spanish)
192. Vietnam
– Cảm ơn (“Gauhm uhhn”) (Vietnamese)
193. Yemen
– Shukran (Arabic)
194. Zambia
– Thank you (English) or Zikomo (Nyanja) or Natotela (Bemba)
195. Zimbabwe
– Maita basa (Shona) or Nigiyabonga (Ndebele) or Thank you (English)
Say Thanks in Different Languages
As a traveller, there are no shortage of incentives for learning how to say thank you in different languages.
Among other things, it’s a way to make an effort in the communities you choose to explore, solicit a smile from the locals, and create goodwill to boot.
With any luck, the many different ways to say thank you in this post will help you do exactly that- wherever you are in the world!
Once again, though, please drop a comment below if you noticed any errors.
And, finally, click here to learn all about responsible tourism if you’re looking for more ways to respect the places you travel through.