What do “arigato” and “arigatou” mean in Japanese?
Honestly I didn’t expect to get asked this, but native speakers often use these two phrases in the same way: to mean ‘thank you’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know these phrases as both are often used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain them in detail together with the grammatical background. And also, I will explain how to use them through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “arigato”, “arigatou”, and the concept behind more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meaning of “arigato”
- Definition and meaning of “arigatou”
- What does “arigatou” literally mean in Japanese?
- Arigato vs. arigatou: which to use
- Summary
Definition and meaning of “arigato”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “arigato”.
- arigato – ありがと : a phrase meaning ‘thank you’ in Japanese.
Native speakers use this phrase to say “thank you” in Japanese. This is widely considered as the colloquial version of the other one, “arigatou”. Next, let me explain it in detail.
Definition and meaning of “arigatou”
The definition and meaning of “arigatou” are the same as those of the colloquial version. Therefore,
- arigatou – ありがとう : a phrase meaning ‘thank you’ in Japanese.
This phrase can work in more or less the same way as the shortened version does. Like other longer phrases, however, “arigatou” is widely considered grammatically correct and therefore official.
The definition and meaning are simple and clear. To understand this phrase more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical background in detail.
What does “arigatou” literally mean in Japanese?
To tell the truth, “arigatou” is considered as one conjugation of the old Japanese phrase, “arigatai”. This phrase consists of the following two components:
- ari – 有り (あり) : one conjugation of the verb, “aru”, which is used to say that something exists. In the phrase, it has been conjugated for the better connection.
- gatai – 難い (がたい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘unlikely’, ‘less likely’, or ‘not likely’ in Japanese. This sounds a bit old-fashioned today.
These two components tell us that “arigatai” and its conjugation, “arigatou”, can literally mean ‘unlikely to be’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is a bit weird, but represents well the original concept behind the appreciation phrases, I think. Japanese people in the past used the phrases to things and events which were unlikely to be, exist, or happen. Those were often the objects to which people expressed their appreciation. Today, Japanese native speakers say “arigatou” in various situations. Based on the original concept, however, its usage should be limited. It should be used for things and events which people think are unlikely to be or happen.
When we meet new Japanese phrases, we should check their components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, grammatical components tell us a lot about the meanings of the phrases they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “arigatou” through the detailed check above.
Arigato vs. arigatou: which to use
So far, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “arigato” and “arigatou” in detail. Next, let me explain which we should use. Again, but “arigato” is the shortened version of “arigatou”. So, we should stick to the longer one to be grammatically correct. In daily conversations, by contrast, the shortened one is very acceptable. In reality, however, Japanese native speakers do not often differentiate one from the other in speaking as their pronunciations are very similar. One has the “u” sound at the end, but it is barely noticeable in fast conversations.
Then, let me explain how to use “arigato” and “arigatou” through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to use “arigato”
「itsumo arigato」 to watashi wa kanojo ni it ta – 「いつもありがと」と私は彼女に言った (「いつもありがと」とわたしはかのじょにいった)
“Thank you as always,” I said to her.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- itsumo – いつも : an adverb of frequency meaning ‘always’ in Japanese.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what the speaker said to her.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi” to make the subject in the sentence.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to indicate to whom the speaker said.
- it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu“, which means ‘to say’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.
This is a typical usage of “arigato”. In this example, it works together with “itsumo” to say “thank you as always” in Japanese. When we want to say “thank you” in Japanese, anyway, this phrase is a good option especially in casual conversations.
Example #2: how to use “arigatou”
「kochira koso arigatou」 to kanojo ga kotae ta – 「こちらこそありがとう」と彼女が答えた (「こちらこそありがとう」とかのじょがこたえた)
“Thank you, too,” she answered.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kochira koso – こちらこそ : a phrase meaning ‘you too’ or such in Japanese.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
- kotae – 答え (こたえ) : one conjugation of the verb, “kotaeru”, which means ‘to answer’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
This is a typical usage of “arigatou”. In this example, it works together with the phrase, “kochira koso”, to say “thank you, too” in Japanese.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “arigato” and “arigatou” in detail together with the grammatical background. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- arigato – ありがと : a phrase meaning ‘thank you’ in Japanese. This is widely considered as the colloquial version of the other one, “arigatou”, but can work in more or less the same way especially in speaking.
- arigatou – ありがとう : a phrase meaning ‘thank you’ in Japanese. This is considered as one conjugation of the old Japanese phrase, “arigatai”, which literally means ‘unlikely to be’ in Japanese. Japanese people in the past used the phrases to things and events which were unlikely to be, exist, or happen. Those were often the objects to which people expressed their appreciation.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
