안녕하세요!
Hello, hello, hello, you fabulous future fluent speakers of Korean! Welcome back to another exciting lesson where we’re going to unlock a vital phrase that you’ll use a million times over – the wonderful world of saying “Thank you” in Korean!
Have you ever been offered a generous helping of delicious bibimbap, or found yourself jamming to the latest K-pop hit and just couldn’t find the words to express your gratitude? Or perhaps you’ve experienced the kindness of a friendly local while exploring the streets of Seoul and wanted to say thanks? Well, worry no more, because today we’re all about appreciating the good things in life in Korean style!
Just like how one does not simply watch one episode of a K-drama (we’ve all been there, right?), one does not simply go through learning Korean without mastering the art of saying “Thank you” – or as we say it, “감사합니다”! So, ready your hearts and minds (and tongues, of course!) as we embark on a journey to express gratitude, Korean style.
While it might seem that there is a straightforward answer to this question, it might be more complicated than you think. However, this lesson will keep the explanation as simple as possible while ensuring you understand it fully.
In any language, knowing how to express your thanks is a vital communication skill and a key to building positive relationships. This is especially true in Korean culture, where politeness and respect are deeply valued and reflected in the language.
In this lesson, we’ll explore several ways to say “Thank you” in Korean, each suitable for different situations and levels of formality. We’ll not only learn the literal translations but also delve into the cultural nuances and contexts where each phrase is most appropriately used.
Whether you’re a beginner just starting out or an advanced learner looking to refine your knowledge, understanding how to say “Thank you” in Korean will enrich your language skills and help you connect more authentically with Korean speakers. So, let’s get started!
So, how many ways are there to say “Thank you” in Korean?
There are 6 ways to say “Thank you” in Korean. Don’t panic yet though, it’s only actually two different words but the ending will change depending on who you are talking to. If you are not yet familiar with the Korean language, you might not know that there are different politeness levels in Korean.
Korean language is about showing respect to other people and therefore if you speak to someone you don’t know or is older than you, you will need to be respectful through the use of the language.
However, if you are speaking with a friend then using the polite form of Korean might feel a bit awkward as well as it can put an invisible wall between you, making it more difficult to become close friends.
The below table summarises these based on the politeness level.
| 감사하다 | 고맙다 | |
| Polite and formal | 감사합니다 | 고맙습니다 |
| Polite | 감사해요 | 고마워요 |
| Informal | 감사해 | 고마워 |
Breaking down 감사하다
감사하다 (gam-sa-ha-da) is in its verb stem form, which means “to be thankful”. “감사” means “thanks” and “하다” is “to do” creating the word “to be thankful”. Each verb in Korean needs to be conjugated, just like English verbs. We do not say “To be thankful” to someone, we say “Thank you”. Or we wouldn’t just say “To do” we say “do”. This is the same in Korean and therefore, the verb “감사하다” needs to be conjugated. For the purpose of this lesson, we will just focus on covering different ways of saying “Thank you” and cover conjugation in another lesson.
감사합니다 – (gam-sa-ham-ni-da)
This is the most polite way to thank someone in Korean using the word “감사합다”. You would use it with someone who you have just met, or who is older than you.
감사해요 – (gam-sa-hae-yo)
This is another way of politely thanking someone and same as “감사합니다”, it can be used with someone you have just met, or who is older than you.
What is the difference between “감사합니다” and “감사해요”?
What’s the difference you ask? Well, there is not a huge difference between the two, but if you are unsure, I would just use “감사합니다”, as it is ‘more polite’ than “감사해요” so you cannot really go wrong there.
Personally, I would use “감사합니다” when thanking older people or someone I don’t really know. However, if it is someone around my age, but we are not friends yet and haven’t decided to drop the honorifics, “감사해요” is still polite but on a lower level than “감사합니다”.
Think about it this way, at first when you meet someone, you’d talk formally since you have just met, however, eventually you’d most likely want to become friends. While it is safe and always great to be polite (it can never hurt!), being too formal with someone around your age or someone you’d ideally like to become friends can create this distance and make it harder to get close.
I know this can sound a little bit too daunting but think about it this way. In English, there are also different ways to speaking someone depending on the situation. For example, you would most likely not greet your boss with “Hey, what’s up!”. That wouldn’t sound very professional, would it?
Don’t worry too much though. Over time, you will get used to it. The important thing at this stage is just to familiarise yourself with these for now.
감사해 – (gam-sa-hae)
감사해 is almost never used as a way to say just “Thank you” on its own. You might hear it in song lyrics but it’s rarely used in spoken Korean. Personally, I would advise you to just register this word but would advise against using it for now.
Breaking down 고맙다
고맙다 – (go-map-da) also means “to be thankful”. Based on the origin of this word, 고 – (go) actually refers to a ‘high mountain’ and when 마 (ma) is added to it, it refers to a ‘goddess’ or the ‘god of the earth’. So when we bow our heads to each other while saying “고맙습니다”, it is like saying ‘you are like a god’.
Reference: (The secret key of the Korean language that hides the key to happiness, Lee Seung-heon, Hanmunhwa).
고맙습니다 – (go-map-seum-ni-da)
Just like with 감사합니다, 고맙습니다 is the most polite way of saying “Thank you” in Korean.
What is the difference between “감사합니다” and “고맙습니다”?
There is no difference between “감사합니다” and “고맙습니다”. They can be used interchangeably. However, for those of you who might be interested, I have done a little bit of research and found some speculations about the origins of these words. ‘고맙습니다’ seems to be the ‘original’ or ‘native’ way of saying “Thank you” in Korean. ‘감사합니다’, on the other hand is speculated to originate from Japanese. In Japanese, there is a word that means “to be grateful” (かん-しゃ), which has a similar pronunciation to the Korean word “감사”. However, this is most likely to be just a speculation as 감사하다 has been used for a long time, first appearing in ‘이륜행실도(1518년 원간, 옥산서원 소장본)’ (“Two-ryun Haengsildo” (1518 Wongan, the collection of Oksanseowon Confucian Academy).
However, ‘감사합이다’ might have been considered to be more superior as it uses the Chinese hanja character (感謝). The reason for this is due to the perception that Chinese characters were superior in the past. Since, it hasn’t been that long ago that Chinese characters were used in the Korean writing, this might still be the perception of some of the older generation. However, this is likely to disappear over the course of time as the language further changes and develops.
고마워요 – (go-ma-wo-yo)
Again, there is no real difference between “고마워요” and ”감사해요“. You can use it interchangeably and it really does not matter which one you use. However, “고마워요” sounds cuter and also more friendly. A lot of people would also consider “감사해요” to be a little bit more formal than “고마워요”. I suspect this might be due to the fact that “고마워요” is more commonly used in the spoken Korean and therefore people feel more ‘familiar’ with it. Personally, I don’t think I would use “고마워요” to someone who is much older than me. If I had to choose between these two, I would use “감사해요” instead but I’d most likely use “감사합니다” or “고맙습니다” instead when talking to someone older than me as that would be considered more respectful .
고마워 – (go-ma-wo)
“고마워” is used when talking informally to someone. Therefore, either they are your friend or they are much younger than you i.e. a child.
Wrap up
I know that this post might feel a bit too much, especially when you are just starting to learn Korean. However, please do not let this put you off from learning Korean. Once you start exposing yourself to the language, you will begin to understand the different nuances of these words. English also has different ways to say “Thank you” such as “Thanks” or “cheers” or “ta”. I have added extra information for those of you who are interested, and who knows, it might help you to distinguish and remember each word a little bit better. Even if that’s not the case, all you need to remember for now is to use “감사합니다” or “고맙습니다” to thank someone you don’t know very well or someone older than you and “고마워” to say thank you to your friends. The rest, you don’t need to use, just remember that they exist and once you are exposed to them enough, you will become more familiar and more comfortable with using them yourself. 화이팅!
Before you leave, don’t forget to leave a “감사합니다” in the comments below, just to show off your new skills. And hey, while you’re at it, thank someone in your life today – in Korean, of course!
Thank you for joining us on this journey of gratitude. Until we meet again in our next lesson, remember: the more you thank life, the more life gives you to be thankful for. And that includes learning Korean! 고마워요, my language learning heroes! You did an awesome job today! Stay tuned for our next adventure!
정말 감사합니다 ^^