ありがとう

あ

り

が

と

う

Common wordJLPTN4Freq.FrequencyTop 200

Meanings

1

interjection

usually written using kana alone

The most common expression of gratitude in Japanese. Used in casual and polite situations; more formal variants include ありがとうございます and ありがとうございました.

ありがとうUsage93%
Standard kana spelling; the word is almost always written in kana.
有難ありがとうUsage5%
Kanji spelling, occasionally seen in formal or literary contexts.
有あり難がとうUsage1%
Alternate kanji spelling with okurigana; very rare.
アリガトウUsage<1%

ありがとうございます
Polite form of ありがとう, used in formal situations or with strangers.
ありがとうございました
Past polite form, often used when thanking for something that has been completed.
どうも
A casual, abbreviated way to say thanks, but can also mean 'hello' or 'very' depending on context.

Derived from the adjective 有り難い (ありがたい, 'grateful', literally 'hard to exist'), with the adverbial form ありがたく contracting to ありがとう.