How to Say “Thank You” in Korean (and Which Version to Use)
Thank you in Korean has four common levels. 감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) and 고맙습니다 (gomapseumnida) are both fully formal — for strangers, service staff, and superiors — and equally polite despite what textbooks imply. 고마워요 (gomawoyo) is polite-casual, for coworkers and acquaintances. 고마워 (gomawo) is casual, reserved for friends and people your age or younger.
Most learners get taught 감사합니다 first and assume it's simply "the polite one," with everything else ranked below it. That's not quite how the ladder works. Korean thank-yous split along two axes at once — formality level, and word origin — and mixing them up is the single most common mistake.
Here's the actual system, plus the two physical habits (a bow, and what you do with your hands) that make the words land as sincere instead of textbook.
The politeness ladder: four ways to say thanks
감사합니다
gam-sa-ham-ni-da
Thank you (formal)
Strangers, service staff, broadcasts, business — the default "safe" thank-you.
고맙습니다
go-map-seum-ni-da
Thank you (formal)
Exactly as formal as 감사합니다, just native Korean instead of Sino-Korean.
고마워요
go-ma-wo-yo
Thanks (polite-casual)
Coworkers, neighbors, an ajumma at the market — friendly but not familiar.
고마워
go-ma-wo
Thanks (casual)
Friends, and anyone your age or younger you're close with.
There's also 감사해요, a polite-casual cousin of 감사합니다 that some speakers use — but 고마워(요) is what actually comes out of most Korean mouths at that register, so lean on the table above and you'll never sound off.
감사 vs 고맙다: same meaning, different flavor
감사 is Sino-Korean — borrowed from Chinese characters (感謝), built into a verb as 감사하다 ("to be grateful"). 고맙다 is native Korean, no Chinese root at all. Both mean exactly the same thing. Neither is more polite than the other — that's the myth textbooks accidentally teach by always introducing 감사합니다 first.
| 감사합니다 (Sino-Korean) | 고맙습니다 (native) | |
|---|---|---|
| Formality level | 하십시오체 — fully formal | 하십시오체 — identically formal |
| Where it leans | business, service counters, broadcasts, apologies to strangers | personal, spoken, warmer-feeling thanks |
| The myth | "This one is more polite" | "This one is less polite" — both are equal |
In practice Koreans reach for 감사합니다 more often simply because it's the safer, more neutral default — like "thank you" versus "thanks so much" in English. But if a shopkeeper says 고맙습니다 instead, nothing was lost in translation. You're not being short-changed.
The thank-you bow (and why your hands matter)
The words rarely travel alone. A small head-nod bow — maybe 15 degrees — rides along with almost every 감사합니다 or 고맙습니다, deeper if the other person is older, a boss, or someone you've genuinely inconvenienced. Skip the bow with 고마워 among close friends; a nod that formal would read as sarcastic.
Thanking someone in real life
이거 두고 갔길래 가져왔어.
i-geo du-go gat-gil-lae ga-jyeo-wa-sseo.
You left this, so I brought it.
헐, 내 폰이잖아! 완전 고마워.
heol, nae pon-i-ja-na! wan-jeon go-ma-wo.
Whoa, that's my phone! Thank you so much.
별거 아니야. 잃어버릴 뻔했잖아.
byeol-geo a-ni-ya. i-reo-beo-ril ppeon-haet-ja-na.
It's nothing. You almost lost it.
그래도 진짜 고마워. 내가 커피 살게.
geu-rae-do jin-jja go-ma-wo. nae-ga keo-pi sal-ge.
Still, thank you so much. I'll buy you coffee.
Responding: nobody says 천만에요
Every textbook pairs 감사합니다 with a reply: 천만에요 ("you're welcome"). It's grammatically correct and almost never spoken. Real Koreans deflect instead — 아니에요 ("it's nothing"), a small wave of the hand, or just another nod. The formal reply you'll actually hear from staff is 네~ or 별말씀을요, not 천만에요. For the full breakdown of what to say instead, see You're Welcome in Korean.
Texting shrinks the ladder further. Friends fire off ㄱㅅ (the first consonants of 감사) the way English speakers type "ty," and 고마워욤 or 감솨 show up as cutesy, softened versions between people who are already close. None of these belong in a work chat — they're strictly banmal territory, the texting equivalent of showing up to a meeting in pajamas.
One more real-world wrinkle: overusing 감사합니다 with someone you already know well can backfire. Between close coworkers who've dropped some formality, repeating the stiffest, most formal thank-you over and over can read as sarcastic distance rather than genuine gratitude — same problem as thanking a sibling "most sincerely" in English.
Frequently asked questions
What does gamsahamnida mean?
감사합니다 (gamsahamnida) means "thank you" in formal Korean. It comes from the Sino-Korean noun 감사 (gratitude) plus the formal verb ending -합니다, and works for strangers, service staff, and anyone you'd address respectfully.
What's the difference between gamsahamnida and gomapseumnida?
Word origin, not politeness. 감사합니다 is Sino-Korean, 고맙습니다 is native Korean — both are the exact same formal speech level. 감사합니다 shows up more in business and service settings; 고맙습니다 feels slightly warmer and more personal, but neither outranks the other.
Is gomawo rude to say to a stranger?
It won't get you arrested, but it will sound overly familiar. 고마워 is casual speech reserved for friends and people your age or younger that you're close with. To a stranger, cashier, or anyone senior, use 고마워요 or 감사합니다 instead.
How do you respond to gamsahamnida?
Skip the textbook 천만에요 — almost nobody actually says it. Real responses are 아니에요 ("it's nothing"), a simple 네, or the more formal 별말씀을요. All three deflect the thanks rather than accept it outright, which is the culturally polite move.
Do you have to bow when saying thank you in Korean?
Not always, but a small head-nod bow naturally accompanies 감사합니다 or 고맙습니다, especially toward someone older or in a service interaction. Among close friends using 고마워, the words alone are enough — a bow there would feel oddly stiff.