How to Say Thank You in Korean

There are a few ways to say thank you in Korean, but the phrase you need to use largely depends on how much respect you want to show your listeners. Read this wikiHow to learn the proper way to say thank you in Korean.

Table of Contents

The usual thank you

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Let’s say “gomawo.” ^{[1] X Research Source} This is the simplest and most natural way to say “thank you”.

Gomawo can also be transliterated into Latin as “komawo.”
You should only say this to people who are certainly not offended by your casual statement. The listener in this case is usually a close sibling, young child, close friend or schoolmate.
To make it more polite or formal, you can add “yo” (요)—pronounced “yô”—at the end of a sentence. However, this word is often omitted in communication between close friends. ^{[2] X Research Source}
The way to say this is koma-a. The first Hangul or Korean character in a sentence sounds like a light “g”, which sounds similar to the “c” in Vietnamese.
The Hangul spelling of the sentence is 고마워.

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Say “kam sa hae yo.” This is also a relatively natural way of saying thank you; you should use this sentence when talking to friends and people younger than you.

Adding yo (요) at the end of the sentence makes the sentence a bit more polite, but you can leave it out in special, common contexts. However, whether you add or subtract the word yo , the above sentence is still a natural way of saying thank you.
The way to say this is camxa-he-yo. The letter “c” is pronounced similarly in Vietnamese.
The Hangul spelling of the sentence is 감사해요.

Formal thanks

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Say “gomapseumnida.” ^{[3] X Research Source} This is a formal thank you sentence used when the listener is an acquaintance and has a higher status than you.

Although it is a formal thank you, the above sentence is not the most formal way of saying it. You can use this sentence to thank family members, mentors or teachers, but if you need to show extreme respect or gratitude, this is not the most appropriate choice.
This phrase can also be used when the listener is a stranger, especially when they are older than you, or when expressing sincere gratitude to friends with whom you still talk in a casual way. .
This is also a common thank you to a master, opponent, or teammate in a Taekwondo class or in a match. ^{[4] X Research Sources}
The way to say this is gomab-smnida. The first Korean character in the sentence is read as a light “g”, which sounds similar to the “c” in Vietnamese.
The Hangul spelling of the sentence is 고맙습니다.

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Express special thanks with the phrase “kamsahamnida.” In rough translation, this statement means “thank you very much” and is the most formal way to express gratitude.

You should use this phrase when you need to show extreme respect. Say this to respectable people, elderly family members, teachers, counselors, elderly strangers, and anyone you need to follow strict etiquette.
This is an alternative thank you to Taekwondo masters.
The way to say this is camzahamnida. The letter “c” in this sentence is pronounced similarly in Vietnamese.
The Hangul spelling of the sentence is 감사합니다.
Express even greater gratitude with the phrase “daedanhi gamsahamnida.” Daedanhi (대단히)—pronounced de-dan-hi, with the first phoneme sounding like an “d” or a “t” when pronounced softly—is a word used to emphasize your gratitude. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
You can also show an even higher level of gratitude by adding “nŏmu” (너무)—pronounced no-mu —in front of the sentence. Nŏmu means “very,” this word is used to emphasize gratitude when you receive help or a great gift from another person.

Situational Thank You

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To thank someone for a meal, say “jal mug get sum ni da.” ^{[6] X Research Source} Say this before a meal to show gratitude to the host or to the person who cooks the dish.

When translated relatively literally, this saying is understood as “I will eat well.” Although “thank you” is not part of the sentence, using the above statement shows gratitude for the food that you are about to eat.
The way to say this sentence is chal-moroc-sem-nida. The first letter sounds like a light “ch” sound.
The Hangul spelling of this sentence is 잘 먹겠습니다.
Use the phrase “jal mug gut sum ni da” at the end of a meal. The only difference is that the get (겠) sound in the above sentence changes to gut (었). Therefore, the meaning of the sentence becomes “I ate well” instead of “I will eat well.”

Responding to Thanks

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Answer with “kwenchana.” This is a common way to say “nothing” in Korean, especially among friends in a casual context.

The literal translation of the statement is “I’m fine.”
You can make the sentence more polite by adding “yo” (요) at the end of the sentence.
The way to say the above sentence is forget-chan-na .
The Hangul spelling of this sentence is 괜찮아.

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Say “anieyo.” ^{[7] X Research Source} This is another way of saying “nothing.”

You’re basically saying “no.” The meaning of this sentence is simply that the other party does not need to thank you.
The way to say the above sentence is anieyo .
The Hangul spelling of the sentence is 아니에요.

Steps

The usual thank you

Formal thanks

Situational Thank You

Responding to Thanks

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