どうも

ど

う

も

Meanings

abbreviation

Casual, abbreviated thanks. Often used alone or in the phrase どうもありがとう. The standalone どうも is less formal than full expressions.

どうも〈事こと〉ようだit somehow seems that ~ (vague impression, not based on clear evidence)
どうも風邪かぜをひいたようだ。
I seem to have caught a cold, somehow.
どうも〈物もの〉が気きになるfor some reason, ~ keeps bothering me
どうもさっきの一ひと言ことが気きになる。
For some reason, that thing he said earlier is bothering me.
どうも〈動どう詞し〉ないno matter how hard one tries, ~ just doesn't happen
どうも思おもい出だせない。
No matter how hard I try, I just can't remember it.

どうしてもN3sense 5
Both mean 'no matter how hard one tries', but どうしても is stronger and more commonly used for that sense than どうも.
どうやらN2sense 3
Both hedge a guess as 'it seems that', but どうやら sounds more objective and evidence-based while どうも feels more like a vague personal hunch.
ありがとうN4sense 1
どうも alone is a clipped, casual way of saying thanks, while 有難う is the fuller, more standard word for 'thank you'.
何なんともN2
どうも is casual and can mean 'somehow' or serve as a thanks-expression, while 何とも is more formal and stresses degree or total negation.

Show 5 more

どうもありがとう
どうも alone is a casual, clipped way to say thanks, whereas どうも有難う is the fuller, more polite phrase it comes from.
なんだかN2
どうも often introduces a vague sense that something is wrong or off (and can also mean 'thanks'), whereas 何だか is neutral and simply marks an unexplainable impression.
ありがと
どうも is a casual, even more clipped way to say thanks, often used alone, similar in informality to ありがと.
サンキューN1
どうも is a mild, everyday way to say thanks (often short for どうもありがとう), whereas サンキュー signals a breezy, English-influenced casualness.

どうぞN5
どうぞ and どうも sound similar and both appear in polite exchanges, but どうぞ offers or invites while どうも thanks or expresses vague feeling.

Derived from どう (how) + も (also/even). The original meaning of 'no matter how' extended to vague emphasis and then to casual greetings and thanks.

メルシー

どうも is a common, mild way to say thanks in everyday Japanese, whereas メルシー is a rarer, French-flavored alternative used for flair.