How to Say Thank You in Chinese: 4 Must-Know Phrases with Meaning & Pronunciation

Friendship plays a tremendous role in Chinese culture, and Chinese people love helping each other when their friends are in need of something. Like in most countries, Chinese people tend to say “thank you” after receiving help from others. In this article, we’d like to teach you six words and phrases that can be used to say “thank you” in Chinese.

01. “Thanks” in Chinese

This is the most common way to say “thanks” or “thank you” in Mandarin Chinese. You can use it whenever someone does you a favor, whether it’s a small gesture or a big one.

Sometimes you might also hear Chinese people say 谢谢你 (Xièxie nǐ) which is the standard way to express gratitude in spoken Chinese. If you want to show a group of people you can say 谢谢你们 (Xièxie nǐmen) which means “thank you” to a group of people.

02. “Thanks a lot” in Chinese

This phrase is frequently used in both mainland China (especially in the southern regions) and Hong Kong. Whether you’re thanking someone for a big favor or expressing sincere gratitude 多谢 is an excellent way to convey thanks a lot in Mandarin.

03. “Thank you very much” in Chinese

This is used by Chinese speakers when they want to express sincere appreciation. It’s important to note that 非常感谢 is a set phrase and cannot be replaced with 谢谢 (xièxie) which is a more general way to say “thank you” in Chinese.

04. “Thank you so much!” in Chinese

太谢谢你了!
Tài xièxie nǐ le!
Thank you so much!

The structure 太 ……了 (tài … le) is commonly used in Chinese to emphasize a certain fact. For instance 太热了 (tài rè le) means “it’s so hot” In the case of 太谢谢你了 (Tài xièxie nǐ le) it expresses a higher degree of emotion or appreciation making it equivalent to saying “thank you so much” in English.

This phrase is a way to show deep gratitude and can be used when you want to emphasize how thankful you are.

FAQ: How to Say Thank You in Chinese

The most common way to say “thank you” in Chinese is 谢谢 (Xièxie). It’s used for general appreciation similar to saying “thanks” in English. For a more formal expression you can use 谢谢你 (Xièxie nǐ) or 谢谢你们 (Xièxie nǐmen) when addressing one or more people.

02. How to say “thank you very much” in Chinese?

To say “thank you very much” in Chinese you can use 非常感谢 (Fēicháng gǎnxiè). It literally means “extremely thankful” and is used to express deep gratitude or appreciation often in more formal contexts.

03. How do you say “thanks a lot” in Chinese?

You can say 多谢 (Duō xiè) to express “thanks a lot” in Chinese. This phrase is commonly used in both mainland China and Hong Kong and it literally means “many thanks”.

04. How to say “thank you so much” in Chinese?

To express “thank you so much” in Chinese say 太谢谢你了 (Tài xièxie nǐ le). The structure 太 … 了 (tài … le) is used to emphasize gratitude indicating a high degree of appreciation.

05. Can I use “谢谢 (Xièxie)” in formal situations?

While 谢谢 (Xièxie) is commonly used in informal settings it can also be used in formal situations. However, to sound more formal especially in professional or respectful contexts, you may want to use 谢谢你 (Xièxie nǐ) or 非常感谢 (Fēicháng gǎnxiè).

06. What are some regional variations of saying thank you in Chinese?

In southern China and Hong Kong 多谢 (Duō xiè) is often used this is considered more regional but still widely accepted in Mandarin speaking communities. Additionally expressions like 感谢你 (Gǎnxiè nǐ) may also be heard with slight variations in usage based on the region.

07. How to say thank you in Mandarin for a group of people?

If you want to say “thank you” to a group of people in Mandarin you will use 谢谢你们 (Xièxie nǐmen) The 你们 (nǐmen) is the form of “you” used to address multiple people.