Thanks in Chinese: Essential Expressions of Gratitude

Want to Learn Chinese? "Thank You" is an excellent place to start. If you're reading this post, your parents raised you right 💪

Here are some simple ways you can express your gratitude in Mandarin Chinese. We'll include an audio sample for each one, plus an explanation of when they'd be used.

By the end of this post, you'll know how to say:

[Table] 10 ways to say thank you in Chinese

Some quick notes on what you're seeing up there, in case you're totally new to Chinese:

1. Thank you → 谢谢 (xiè xie)

Literally: thank thank
Sounds like: "she-eh-she-eh"

This is the most common and plain way to express the equivalent of the "thank you" in Mandarin Chinese. This phrase is extremely versatile, and is able to be used both casually and formally. However, this form of thanks is far more common as an interjection, than as a verb.

Example:

2. Many thanks → 多谢 (duō xiè)

Literally: many thank
Sounds like: "dwo sheh"

This phrase is very similar to the above, but is a bit more formal. Other than that it's largely interchangeable. It can be used as both an interjection and as a verb.

Example:

3. I'm grateful to you → 感谢你 (gǎn xiè nǐ)

Literally: grateful you
Sounds like: "gahn she-eh nee"

This is more polite than the two aforementioned expressions of thanks. Since this phrase is less commonly used as an interjection, it expresses thanks in a more direct and personal way, similar to the English "to be grateful to/for." It is more commonly used as a verb as part of a sentence. 感谢 gǎnxiè on its own can also act as a noun, meaning "gratitude."

Example:

4. Thank you very much → 非常感谢 (fēi cháng gǎn xiè)

Literally: extremely grateful
Sounds like: "fay chang gahn she-eh"

This is a common phrase conveys a more intense gratitude. You could translate it as "thank you very much" or "I'm very grateful." It consists of (fēicháng)非常 and (gǎnxiè)感谢, meaning extremely and grateful, respectively.

Example:

5. I'm very grateful → 我非常感激 (wǒ fēi cháng gǎn jī)

Literally: I extremely appreciative
Sounds like: "wo fay chang gahn ji"

As its literal translation implies, it also expresses a rather deep gratitude and can be translated to "I'm so very appreciative of you."

6. Thanks a million → 万分感谢 (wàn fēn gǎn xiè)

Literally: ten thousand parts grateful
Sounds like: "wan fun gahn she-eh"

This phrase consists of (wànfēn)万分 and (gǎnxiè)感谢, meaning extremely and grateful, respectively. You could translate this phrase to "thanks a million" or "thank you so very much." This is used to give a very heartfelt show of appreciation.

Example:

7. Can't thank you enough → 感激不尽 (gǎn jī bù jìn)

Literally: appreciative endless(ly)
Sounds like: "gahn jee boo jeen"

This is similar to the others but has the intensifier after the phrase of thanks. It can be translated to "(I) can't thank (you) enough" to express a very high degree of appreciation, especially for help provided by someone or something.

Example:

8. Thank you for your help → 谢谢你的帮助 (xiè xie nǐ de bāng zhù)

Literally: thanks your help
Sounds like: "she-eh she-eh nee duh bang joo"

If you've been on the receiving end of some help, then this is a useful phrase to show your appreciation.

Example:

9. Thanks for everything → 谢谢你做的一切 (xiè xie nǐ zuò de yí qiè)

Literally: thank you do (particle) everything
Sounds like: "she-eh she-eh nee tsuo duh ee chyeh"

If you would like to express your appreciation for a multitude of favors then this phrase will do the trick.

Example:

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Now that you know how to say thanks in Chinese, here's the #1 thing you need to know about learning Chinese:

In brief:

With that, 感谢你 for visiting our little corner of the internet 🫡

(if you don't know what that means, go back and see item #3)