Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
ありがたい Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N2 Freq. Frequency Top 5,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
i-adjective
grateful ; thankful ; appreciated
usually written using kana alone
Expresses personal gratitude for a favor, kindness, or fortunate circumstance. Often used in set phrases like ありがたいことに (thankfully) or to describe something that evokes thankfulness.
ありがたい
こと
に
、
天てん
気き
が
回かい
復ふく
し
た
。
Thankfully, the weather cleared up.
Written forms ありがたい Usage 76%
Kana spelling is standard; usually written in kana.
有あり 難がた い Usage 14%
Abbreviated kanji spelling; rare and mostly encountered in older texts or signs.
有あ り 難がた い Usage 9%
Kanji spelling with okurigana; seen in formal or literary contexts but less common than kana.
アリガタイ Usage <1%
Kanji 難 difficult, impossible, trouble Similar words 感かん 謝しゃ 感謝 is a noun/suru-verb meaning 'gratitude' or 'to thank', often used in formal expressions of thanks. ありがたい is an adjective describing the feeling of being grateful or something that inspires gratitude.
すみません すみません is a common apology or expression of thanks for a small favor, but it carries a nuance of indebtedness or regret. ありがたい is a more direct expression of thankfulness.
Etymology Derived from 有る (aru, 'to exist') + 難い (katai, 'difficult'), literally 'hard to exist' or 'rare', shifting to mean 'precious' and then 'grateful'. The kanji spellings reflect this origin, but the word is now usually written in kana.
