Manners Maketh Man How to Say Thank You in 20 Different Languages

Manners Maketh Man How to Say Thank You in 20 Different Languages How to Say Thank You in 20 Different Languages Being polite doesnt always mean the same thing.Manners and etiquette differ from culture to culture.As a language learner, someone new to a culture, you can only be expected to do your best.You may forget to adapt your table manners for dinner in China or Japan.You might offer a weak handshake in Europe.Usually, these things are easily forgivable. People understand that youre still learning.What isnt  forgivable is failing to show proper gratitude, which is the easiest thing to do to be polite in most countries.While there are many ways you can do this, the simplest way to show it is with a sincere thank you. The True Meaning of Thank YouIn English, the phrase thank you has a long history rootedâ€"along with the rest of the language, of courseâ€"in several different cultures.While a lot of things are uncertain, we know that the word thank comes from the Old English thanc, which means thought. The sentiment was that those who were grateful would think plenty of the person to whom th ey were grateful.The rest of Europe developed their word for gratitude similarly. The Old High German which influenced English used dank,  which isnt too different from todays danke.The Romance languages, such as Spanish and Italian, evolved from Latin. This is why youll notice that many of their respective phrases for gratitude are so similar. All The Spanish  gracias  and the Italian  grazie derive from the Latin gratias agere which, if you break it down, essentially meant I give praises.Now, thats just European languagesâ€"and they still have their differences. Imagine how the rest of the worlds diverse languages may differ! This diversity of thank you is exactly why its a good idea to familiarize yourself with the appropriate phrase or word to use wherever youre living or traveling.Thats what were here for.Well go through the singular expressions of gratitude in each of several different cultures before exploring the actual phrases you should learn to use.Eager to be more polite ? Lets get started!How to Express Your Gratitude Anywhere in the WorldLearn Gestures, Because Actions Speak LouderWhen someone does something, anything, for you, its always good to show them that you appreciate the thought behind their action. Even if its not a big deal, a little gratitude is just polite.So, whats the best way to express gratitude? As weve said, there are a lot of acceptable, highly-appreciated ways to do it.One universally-shared custom is the act of offering gifts. We give them for a variety of reasons on a variety of different occasions like birthdays, Christmas and returning from traveling. Of course, this may not always be simple. There are a lot of things to consider.After all, think about how difficult it was the last time you tried to find something special for your mothers birthday! Past the age of nine, pasta artwork just doesnt cut it!What were trying to say is, you have to consider what is appropriate when giving gifts. For example, money is generally se en as being a relatively thoughtless gift, except in a few rare cases. Flowers can be an appropriate gift depending on the individual and the reason behind it. A students thanking their teachers with flowers is a greatly appreciated gesture, for example. The most important thing is the thought behind a gift.This custom varies from place to place. For example, if you visit Japan, you should be aware that in their culture, there are different levels of gifts and manners to keep in mind when receiving one. It is customary to bow as you accept a gift using both hands.Of course, you cant always give gifts to thank people. That would be impractical. Thankfully, gifts arent the only appreciated gesture of gratitude.If you look at dining etiquette all over the world, youll find that showing appreciation for a meal is wildly different from place to place. In most Western cultures, its appropriate to thank the host (or chef in some cases) for a lovely meal, while in China and Japan, theyll se e your appreciation when you slurp your meal up or burp at the end as an expression of real satisfaction and gratitude.Remember: Its the Thought That CountsAs we said, expressing gratitude is one of the easier aspects of courtesy. Its certainly a lot easier than trying to acquaint yourself with formal dining etiquette, anyway. However, its also the easiest to go overboard with in some cultures.In China, thanking people for every small gesture of kindness can be taken as a sign that youre being disingenuous, and disingenuous gestures or expressions are seldom appreciated, for good reason. It can also be taken as a sign that youre trying to establish the need for formalities, which implies that youre not interested in being all that friendly. In a way, the less traditionally polite you are, the friendlier youll appear.That applies in India as well, where a simple thank you can actually be a bit offensive. The reason for this is that gratitude is expected. That is to say, reciprocation is generally presumed, and therefore theres no need to actually say thank you.What can you do when youve just landed in a new country and you only have the manners you were raised with? Well, when in Rome! Pay close attention to what the locals do and try to ascertain what the courteous customs are. If that doesnt work for you, befriend a local and ask them about customs directly.In this day and age, theres a multitude of easily-available methods to briefly research a place and its culture. You can use that to prepare and save yourself from a few awkward situations you might encounter through misunderstanding. You might also find, as a language learner, that researching a culture will aid you in your language learning experience.If none of those seem to do the trick, just stick with what you know. Even if you dont slurp your food at dinner or bow when you accept a gift, show appreciation the way you usually do. Again, the thought behind your gesture is the most important. As long a s you show that youre genuine and that youre trying, a small faux pas or two will be forgiven.How to Say Thank You in 20 Different LanguagesThe surest way to make sure someone knows that youre grateful is to just say, thank you.If youre embarking on an international adventureâ€"or if you just want to be prepared to say thanks to anyone you meet in lifeâ€"its good to learn how to say thank you in different languages.Or, maybe youre just curious about what the rest of the world is up to. Learning about these expressions of gratitude will satisfy that multilingual craving.1. Arabic:  ???? (shukraan)While this is the more general thank you in standard Arabic, you can get a little more specific and say  ????? ?? (shukraan lak) when talking to a male or  ????? ??? (shukraan laki) when talking to a female. Its not a necessity to add those words, but its a nice touch.2. Mandarin:  ?? (xiéxié)This is the main way to say thank you, but you can also use ?? (duoxiè), which is the equivalent of thanks a lot, to amplify the gratitude.3. French: MerciShort and sweet is the basic French word for thanks,  merci. You may hear people thank one another with  merci mille fois, which equates to a thousand thanks.4. German: DankeIf someone offers you something, its better to use bitte when accepting. Danke, in that context, may give off the impression that youre declining the offer.5. Italian: GrazieYou can add emphasis by saying grazie mille, but be warned that this can sometimes be perceived as sarcasm!6. Japanese:  ?????  (arigatou)Use this thank you with family and friends, but not with someone of a higher social status, like your teacher or your boss. For them, you may use the slightly more polite  ????????????? (arigatou gozaimasu).7. Korean: ???  (gomawo)Use this informally. To show respect to strangers or those of a higher status, add  ? (yo) to the end. With someone of a higher social status, youll be safer using  ????? (gamsahabnida) which is much more respectful.8. Por tuguese: ObrigadoObrigado is used when spoken by a man, while women use obrigada.  Choose the proper word ending according to your own gender!9. Russian: C?????? (spasibo)You may also use  ??????? ??????? (bolshoe spasibo) or, when trying to show immense gratitude,  ???????? ???????  (ogromnoye spasibo).10. Spanish: GraciasIt seems that most of the worlds inhabitants are already familiar with the Spanish word for thank you,  gracias.  Theres also  muchas gracias  or  muchísimas gracias for even more emphasis.11. Cantonese:  ?? (m`h goi)You generally use this when thanking someone for an act or service, while ?? (dòjeh) is used to thank someone for a gift or compliment.12. Dutch: Dank jeIf speaking formally, its better to use  dank u wel.13. Finnish: KiitosThis is the most common way of thanking someone, but you can use kiitos paljon  in cases where youre extremely grateful to someone.14. Greek:  e??a??st? (efcharistó)Its also acceptable to pat your chest with one hand as a small gesture conveying your thanks.15. Hindi:  ??????? (dhanyavaad)This is quite a formal way of thanking someone. You can use  ???????? (shukriya) which is informal. Although as mentioned earlier in our discussion of gratitude in Indian culture, we dont recommend using either of these liberally.16. Hawaiian: MahaloYou may choose to say mahalo nui loa, which means thank you very much. This word has a rich an interesting history worth reading about!17. Icelandic: TakkThis is a common way of saying thank you, but you may also use  Ãžakka þér fyrir, which means thank you very much.18. Polish:  Dziekuje CiYou can also use a simple  dzieki  (thanks)  or  dziekuje bardzo, the latter of which means, thank you very much19. Romanian: MultumescThis is common, but you can also use î?i mul?umesc which is informal.20. Swedish: TackIts quite common to say tackar  (thanking) or  tack sÃ¥ mycket (thanks so much), the latter of which  is just slightly more formal but still quite casual.There you have it! Youre now ready to receive all manner of nice things and express your appreciation and gratitude no matter where you where.Just remember that its not always about what you say, but what you do that matters and the intent behind it.Its the thought that counts!