How to Say Thank You in Chinese

Which thank-you fits?

• A small favor: 谢谢！ Xièxie! Thanks!
  Holding a door, passing the salt, pointing the way. To someone you know, 谢谢你 (xièxie nǐ) is warmer.
• A big favor: 太感谢你了！ Tài gǎnxiè nǐ le! Thank you so much!
  Someone helped you move or got you out of a jam. 太…了 (tài…le) makes it warm and strong.
• A gift: 谢谢，你太客气了！ Xièxie, nǐ tài kèqi le! Thank you, you shouldn't have!
  Thank them, then protest a little: "you're too kind". It's the polite reflex when you receive a gift.
• A formal email: 非常感谢您的帮助。 Fēicháng gǎnxiè nín de bāngzhù. Thank you very much for your help.
  感谢 (gǎnxiè) and 您 (nín) keep it formal. Name what you're thankful for.
• Their hard work: 辛苦了！ Xīnkǔ le! Thanks for your hard work!
  Thanks the effort, not just the result: a courier, a colleague who stayed late, a host who cooked.
• Asking a favor: 麻烦你了。 Máfan nǐ le. Sorry to trouble you.
  Half thanks, half apology, when someone goes out of their way. Say it as you ask, or after.

11 ways to say thank you in Chinese

Everyday thanks

• 谢谢 xièxie: Thank you Everyday
  The everyday thank-you. It works with almost anyone: a waiter, a friend, your boss. Often typed xie xie.
• 谢谢你 xièxie nǐ: Thank you (to you) Everyday
  Warmer and more personal, to one person. Often typed xie xie ni.
• 谢谢您 xièxie nín: Thank you (polite) Polite
  For elders, teachers and customers: anyone you would call 您 (nín). Often typed xie xie nin.
• 谢谢大家 xièxie dàjiā: Thank you, everyone Everyday
  The end of a talk or a class, a team, a group chat. Often typed xie xie da jia.

Thank you very much

• 非常感谢 fēicháng gǎnxiè: Thank you very much Formal
  Polite and strong: emails, speeches, a stranger who went out of their way. Often typed fei chang gan xie.
• 太感谢了 tài gǎnxiè le: Thank you so much! Warm
  Spoken and heartfelt, after a real favor. To a friend: 太谢谢你了 (tài xièxie nǐ le).
• 感谢 gǎnxiè: To thank; to be grateful Formal
  Writing, speeches and signs, usually naming who or what: 感谢您的支持 (gǎnxiè nín de zhīchí), thank you for your support. Often typed gan xie.

Casual thanks

• 多谢 duōxiè: Thanks a lot Casual
  Quick and friendly, a little more casual than 谢谢 (xièxie). You hear it more in southern China. Often typed duo xie.
• 谢啦 xiè la: Thanks! Casual
  Cheerful, with friends and in texts. 谢了 (xiè le) is the same, a bit more offhand.

For someone's effort or trouble

• 辛苦了 xīnkǔ le: Thanks for your hard work Everyday
  Thanks the effort, not just the result: a courier, a colleague who stayed late, a host who cooked. To one person: 辛苦你了 (xīnkǔ nǐ le). Often typed xin ku le.
• 麻烦你了 máfan nǐ le: Sorry to trouble you Polite
  Half thanks, half apology, when someone goes out of their way for you. To an elder: 麻烦您了 (máfan nín le). Often typed ma fan ni le.

How to say "you're welcome" in Chinese

• 不客气 bú kèqi: You're welcome Everyday
  The standard reply to 谢谢 (xièxie). Safe with anyone. Often typed bu ke qi.
• 不用谢 búyòng xiè: No need to thank me Everyday
  Just as common, and a little warmer. Often typed bu yong xie.
• 没事 méi shì: No problem Casual
  No worries, it was nothing. In the north you'll hear 没事儿 (méi shìr). Often typed mei shi.
• 别客气 bié kèqi: Don't mention it Warm
  Literally "don't be so polite". Hosts say it to guests, too.
• 应该的 yīnggāi de: Just doing my job Polite
  When helping was your job or your duty: shop staff, a teacher, family.

• At a shop: 谢谢！ Xièxie! Thanks! / 不客气。 Bú kèqi. You're welcome.
• Between friends: 谢啦！ Xiè la! Thanks! / 没事。 Méi shì. No problem.
• At work: 辛苦了！ Xīnkǔ le! Thanks for all your work! / 应该的。 Yīnggāi de. Just doing my job.

不 (bù) changes tone before a fourth tone, so 不客气 (bú kèqi) and 不用谢 (búyòng xiè) start with a rising bú. See how 不 changes.

没关系 (méi guānxi) is the usual answer to 对不起 (duìbuqǐ), sorry. You'll sometimes hear it after thanks, but 不客气 (bú kèqi) or 没事 (méi shì) is the safer reply. How to say sorry in Chinese.

Close friends may wave your thanks away with 客气什么 (kèqi shénme), "why so polite?" It means you're close, not that they're annoyed.

How to pronounce and write 谢谢 (xièxie)

The first 谢 (xiè) is a fourth tone: start high and drop fast. The second is a neutral tone: short, light and low. Put the weight on the first syllable, roughly shyeh-shyeh. Typed without tone marks, it's xie xie.

Pinyin x is not the English x. Rest the tip of your tongue behind your lower teeth, spread your lips a little and say a soft sh.

谢 (xiè) has 12 strokes: the speech radical 讠 (yán) on the left and 射 (shè) on the right. In traditional characters it's 謝 (xiè), with the full speech radical 言 (yán).

• Practice the falling-then-light pattern in Tone Pairs
• Hear xie on the pinyin chart
• Print a 谢谢 (xièxie) tracing worksheet

Thank you in Cantonese: 唔該 (m4 goi1) vs 多謝 (do1 ze6)

Cantonese, spoken in Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong, has two words for thanks. They are written here in traditional characters, as in Hong Kong, with Jyutping, where the numbers mark Cantonese tones.

• 唔該 m4 goi1 (sounds like mm goy): Thanks (for a service or favor)
  A waiter brings your food, someone holds the elevator. It also means please and excuse me.
• 多謝 do1 ze6 (sounds like daw jeh): Thank you (for a gift)
  A present, a compliment or a treat.
• 唔使客氣 m4 sai2 haak3 hei3 (sounds like mm sai haak hay): You're welcome
  Or just 唔使 (m4 sai2), "no need".

Common questions

How do you say thank you in Chinese?

Say 谢谢 (xièxie). It is the everyday thank-you and works with almost anyone, from a waiter to your boss. Add 你 (nǐ) to thank one person warmly, use 谢谢您 (xièxie nín) for elders and customers, and say 非常感谢 (fēicháng gǎnxiè) for thank you very much.

What does xie xie mean?

Xie xie is 谢谢 (xièxie), Mandarin for thank you, typed without tone marks. 谢 (xiè) means to thank, and saying it twice is simply the everyday word. The first syllable falls sharply and the second is short and light, roughly shyeh-shyeh.

How do you reply when someone says 谢谢 (xièxie)?

Say 不客气 (bú kèqi), you're welcome. 不用谢 (búyòng xiè) means no need to thank me, 没事 (méi shì) is a casual no problem, and 应该的 (yīnggāi de) means it was my job. 没关系 (méi guānxi) is mainly the answer to an apology, so it is not the safest reply to thanks.

How do you say thank you very much in Chinese?

非常感谢 (fēicháng gǎnxiè) is thank you very much, polite enough for emails and strangers. 太感谢了 (tài gǎnxiè le) is warmer and spoken, and 太谢谢你了 (tài xièxie nǐ le) says the same to a friend. In writing, name the favor: 非常感谢您的帮助 (fēicháng gǎnxiè nín de bāngzhù).

Is xie xie Mandarin or Cantonese?

Xie xie, 谢谢 (xièxie), is Mandarin. Cantonese has two words: 唔該 (m4 goi1) thanks someone for a service or a small favor, like a waiter bringing your food, and 多謝 (do1 ze6) thanks someone for a gift or a compliment. Hong Kong writes both in traditional characters.

What is the difference between 谢谢 (xièxie) and 感谢 (gǎnxiè)?

谢谢 (xièxie) is the everyday spoken thank-you. 感谢 (gǎnxiè) is more formal and usually names who or what you are grateful for, as in 感谢您的支持 (gǎnxiè nín de zhīchí), thank you for your support. You see 感谢 in emails, speeches and signs more than in chats with friends.

What does 辛苦了 (xīnkǔ le) mean?

It means thanks for your hard work. Say it to someone who put effort in for you: a courier, a colleague who stayed late, a host who cooked. Managers often say 大家辛苦了 (dàjiā xīnkǔ le) to a team; some people hear it as praise from above, so to your own boss, 谢谢您 (xièxie nín) is safer.

Keep going

• Sorry in Chinese: Which apology fits, and how to answer one.
• Polite Mandarin Phrases and Everyday Reactions: A free printable workbook, 18 pages.
• Lobby Lights: A song where 谢谢 (xièxie) meets 不客气 (bú kèqi).