Translation guide
Thanksgiving is a North American holiday. When referring to the holiday itself, the name is usually borrowed directly. For expressing gratitude in general, Japanese uses set phrases and verbs.
Standard Japanese name for the Thanksgiving holiday. Often used with アメリカの or カナダの to specify.
In the US, the fourth Thursday of November is Thanksgiving.
Katakana borrowing from English. Common in casual conversation or when the holiday is already understood from context.
I hear they eat turkey on Thanksgiving.
Full borrowed form, less common than サンクスギビング alone.
Thanksgiving Day is a day for families to get together.
Giving thanks or expressing gratitude, not necessarily tied to the holiday.
The verb 'to thank' or 'to be grateful'. Used in formal and written contexts.
I am grateful for your ongoing support.
The most common way to say 'thank you'. Casual to polite depending on form.
Literally 'feeling of gratitude'. Used to talk about giving thanks as a concept.
I want to express my gratitude.
To say thanks, often for a specific favor or gift.
感謝祭 is the standard dictionary term and is understood by most Japanese speakers. サンクスギビング is common in casual speech, especially among people familiar with American culture. In formal writing or news, 感謝祭 is preferred.
Japan has a similar holiday called 勤労感謝の日 (Labor Thanksgiving Day) on November 23, but it is not the same as the North American Thanksgiving. Do not use 感謝祭 to refer to the Japanese holiday; use 勤労感謝の日 instead.
We had a big Thanksgiving dinner.
Thank you for helping me.
I thanked the person who helped me.