How to Say Thank You in Korean (Gamsahamnida vs Gomawo)

The safe way to say thank you in Korean is gamsahamnida (감사합니다) — a formal thank-you you can use with absolutely anyone, from a taxi driver to a hotel clerk to your friend's grandmother. It never sounds wrong. If you learn one word of gratitude before your trip, learn this one.

What surprises most learners is that Korean has two separate thank-you families that mean the same thing — and a casual ladder underneath them for friends.

Two words, one meaning

Gamsahamnida (감사합니다) is built from Sino-Korean roots, the kind of vocabulary Korean borrowed from Chinese centuries ago. It is the formal default, the version you will see on signs and hear at registers.

Its twin is gomapseumnida (고맙습니다), which is just as formal and polite but built from a native Korean word. Many Koreans feel it is a touch warmer and more traditional. Both fit the same situations, so you can use either — gamsahamnida is simply the more common on the street.

The casual ladder

The everyday, friendly versions all grow from that native word. Step down one level to gomawoyo (고마워요), a polite-casual "thanks" that is soft and warm without being stiff. Step down again to gomawo (고마워), which is for close friends and people younger than you only.

Say it with your hands

In Korea, gratitude is physical as much as verbal. When you receive something — a gift, a business card, your change, a poured drink — take it with both hands, or with your right hand while your left lightly supports your forearm. Pair it with a small bow of the head and a gamsahamnida, and you have thanked someone the way Koreans do.

This two-handed habit reads as respect, especially with older people. It costs nothing and it is noticed every time.

Thanks at the table

Korean also has a set way to thank someone for a meal, and it bookends the food. Before eating, you say jal meokgesseumnida (잘 먹겠습니다), "I'll eat well." After the last bite, you say jal meogeosseumnida (잘 먹었습니다), "I ate well" — the Korean way of thanking whoever cooked or, just as often, whoever paid.

Replying to thanks

When someone thanks you, you do not need a grand phrase. The most natural reply is anieyo (아니에요), literally "it's nothing," waved off with a small smile. A simple ne (네) with a nod works too.

Keep learning Korean

Two formal thank-yous, two casual ones, and a two-handed bow — that is a complete kit for gratitude in Korean. Keep building with our free essential Korean phrases, then practice each level out loud with audio and spaced repetition in the Pretalk app so the right one comes out automatically.