In global business, small gestures often carry outsized weight. A simple “thank you” bridges gaps that formal communication sometimes can’t — and for employees working across international teams, relocating to a new country, or building relationships with clients and partners abroad, knowing how to express genuine appreciation in a local language leaves a lasting impression.
It’s a small investment with real returns: a relocating employee who thanks a new colleague in their language builds rapport faster. A team member who closes a client call with a word of thanks in the client’s native tongue signals respect that goes beyond the transaction. Gratitude may be universal, but the way it’s expressed carries real cultural weight — and getting it right, even in a small way, is often the first step toward deeper cross-cultural fluency.
Here’s how to say “thank you” — and a few ways to say it with extra warmth — in 45 languages relevant to global business and international teams.
Afrikaans: Dankie (dankey). For added emphasis, baie dankie (“thanks a lot”), or baie dankie vir alles (“thank you for everything”).
Arabic: Shukran (shoe-kran), understood across all Arabic-speaking countries. Gender-specific forms include shukran lak (to a man) and shukran laki (to a woman).
Bengali: Dhonnobad (dhon-noh-bahd). In formal settings, add apnake before it. For “thank you very much,” say onek dhonnobad.
Chinese Mandarin: Xiè xie (she-eh she-eh). For “thanks a lot,” say duō xie; for “many thanks,” gǎn xie.
Croatian: Hvala (hvah-lah). For added emphasis, puno hvala.
Czech: Děkuji (dyekooyi), or the more formal velmi vám děkuji for “thank you very much.”
Danish: Tak (tahg). For more emphasis: mange tak (“thanks a lot”), tusind tak (“a thousand thanks”), or million tak (“a million thanks”).
Dutch: Dankjewel (dankyevel). For a stronger expression, echt heel erg bedankt (“thank you very much”), or the casual superbedankt (“super thanks”).
Estonian: Tänan (ta-nahn), or the shorter aitäh. For emphasis, tänan väga.
Esperanto: Danko (dangko) — simple and sufficient in all contexts.
Finnish: Kiitos (key-toss). For “thanks a lot,” kiitos paljon.
French: Merci (mehr-see). For more emphasis, merci beaucoup (“thank you very much”) or un grand merci (“a big thank you”).
German: Danke (dahn-keh). For added weight, vielen danke (“many thanks”) or danke schön.
Greek: Efharisto (ef-ha-ree-stoh). For “thank you very much,” efharisto poly.
Hawaiian: Mahalo (ma-ha-lo). For deep appreciation, mahalo nui loa.
Hebrew: Toda (toh-dah). For emphasis, toda raba (“thank you very much”).
Hungarian: Köszönöm (koh-suh-nuhm). For deeper gratitude, nagyon köszönöm.
Hindi: Dhanyavaad (dhanya-vad), or the more informal shukriyaa. For warmth, bahut dhanyavaad.
Icelandic: Takk (tahk). For the complete expression, takk fyrir.
Indonesian: Terima kasih (teh-ree-ma kah-see). Informally, makasih. For emphasis, terima kasih banyak.
Italian: Grazie (graht-zee-eh). For extra flair, grazie mille.
Japanese: Arigatou (a-ree-gah-tou) among peers; arigatou gozaimasu in formal or professional settings. Doumo arigatou for “thank you very much.”
Korean: Gamsahamnida (gahm-sa-hahm-nee-dah) formally; gomawo in casual settings.
Latvian: Paldies (pal-dee-es). For emphasis, liels paldies (“big thanks”).
Maltese: Grazzi (grat-zee). For more, grazzi hafna.
Māori: Tēnā koe (tee-na-kue) when speaking to one person; tēnā kōrua for two; tēnā koutou for three or more.
Norwegian: Takk (tahk). For emphasis, mange takk (“many thanks”) or tusen takk (“a thousand thanks”).
Polish: Dziękuję (djen-koo-ye), or the shorter dzięki. For “thank you very much,” bardzo dziękuję.
Portuguese: Obrigado (masculine) or obrigada (feminine). For emphasis, muito obrigado/a.
Romanian: Mulţumesc (mool-tzoo-mesk); informally, mersi.
Russian: Spasibo (spah-see-boh). For emphasis, bol’shoye spasibo (“many thanks”).
Samoan: Fa’afetai (fah-ah-feh-tai). For greater emphasis, fa’afetai lava.
Spanish: Gracias (grah-see-as). For “many thanks,” muchas gracias.
Swedish: Tack (tahk). For strong appreciation, stort tack.
Slovak: Ďakujem (jah-koo-yem). For a deeper thank you, velmi vám dakujem, or dakujem mnohokrát (“thanks a lot”).
Slovenian: Hvala (hvah-lah). For emphasis, hvala lepa.
Swahili: Asante (ah-sahn-teh). For emphasis, asante sana (“thank you very much”).
Thai: Khàwp khun (kop-koon), with gendered particles: khàawp-khun krab (male) or khàawp-khun ka (female). For “thank you very much,” khob khun mak.
Tagalog: Salamat (sah-lah-mat). For a heartier version, maraming salamat, or salamat po to add respect.
Telugu: Dhanyavadamulu (dhanya-vada-lu), used as a standalone expression in most contexts.
Turkish: Teşekkür ederim (teh-shehk-oor ede-rim), or the more casual teşekkürler or sağ ol.
Welsh: Diolch (dee-olkh). For added warmth, diolch yn fawr, or the more formal diolch yn fawr iawn.
Urdu: Shukryia (shook-ree-ya). For a more profound sentiment, bahut shukryia.
Ukrainian: Dyakuyu (dya-koo-yoo). For more, velyke dyakuyu (“big thanks”), or serdechno d’akuju (“thank you from my heart”).
Vietnamese: Cảm ơn (kahm uhn), sometimes cảm ơn ban in the north; commonly used on its own in the south.
More than a phrase
Learning to say “thank you” in a colleague’s or client’s language is a small gesture, but it’s often the first, most accessible step toward deeper cross-cultural fluency — and for employees working across global teams or relocating internationally, that fluency has a real, measurable impact on how quickly relationships and trust are built.
Of course, “thank you” is just the beginning. Genuine cross-cultural communication requires understanding much more — cultural context, business etiquette, and the language proficiency needed to build lasting professional relationships.
Ready to build deeper language and cultural fluency across your global teams?
Request a corporate proposal from ELT and let’s design a training program that helps your employees move beyond a few phrases toward genuine, confident communication.
