There's no set timetable for how soon you should get a return gift after receiving one yourself, but it's best not to wait too long. Giving people gifts for holidays and life events is a perfectly familiar concept to Americans, but in Japan, it's customary to respond by giving the person a smaller gift in return, or 'okaeshi.' These gifts are typically about half the value of the original gift and may include food, alcohol, sweets, or hand towels. During these times, Japanese people give gifts to their parents, teachers, coworkers, or anyone else to whom they've felt grateful throughout the year. While gift-giving is appropriate for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and holidays like Christmas, there are also two times of the year when the practice is especially emphasized: 'ochugen' (in early July) and 'oseibo' (early December). That's not a foreign concept for Americans, but the process is a little different. Like bowing, gift-giving is a physical way to show someone you appreciate them in Japan.

The lowest bows are about 45° and are done when expressing deep gratitude, meeting an important person, or sincerely apologizing.

In formal situations like the workplace or when greeting a client, an appropriate bow is about 30°.

The lower you bow, the more humble or respectful the gesture.

Women can keep their arms at their sides or fold one hand on top of the other, holding below the belly button.

Keeping your back straight, bow from the waist.

In any case, it's associated with respect and gratitude. You might quickly bow to acknowledge a shopkeeper or give a low bow of respect when being introduced to an elder. Bowingīowing of the head and upper body has been part of Japanese culture for more than a thousand years, and it's done in a multitude of situations.ĭepending on the scenario, bowing can look different and convey different messages. Physical gestures like bowing and gift-giving are also customary ways to show gratitude and respect. Fortunately, Japanese people are generally forgiving of foreigners who slip up - as long as they're making an effort to learn! How to express gratitude without languageĮxpressing gratitude doesn't end with verbal exchanges. Thanking someone in Japanese takes on many different forms depending on the situation, and using the wrong phrase can result in an insulting faux pas. In Japan, expectations are quite different. We add words like 'so' and 'very' to amplify the meaning and express a greater level of gratitude, and occasionally we use other phrases like 'I appreciate it' or simply 'thanks.' No matter which one you choose, you really can't go wrong each of these phrases is interchangeable to say to everyone from your child to the President. In America, it's pretty simple we say 'thank you' in all situations and to all types of people. You can do so in several ways, but in Japan it's especially important to know when to use each phrase.

In both Japanese and American cultures, it's important to express your gratitude. How Japanese terms of gratitude are different from American culture This is done with a combination of polite phrases, bowing, and giving gifts. In Japanese culture, it's customary to say 'thanks' frequently and in a multitude of ways. Understanding Japanese gratitude cultureįailing to communicate your appreciation can be inconsiderate in any culture, but it's considered especially rude in Japan.

If you want to be somewhat polite but not quite as formal, you can add 'doumo' before 'arigatou.' This phrase works for friends, family, and younger people.Ĭombining all three into 'doumo arigatou gozaimasu' is extra polite, which we'll get to later. 'どうもありがとう' (Doumo arigatou) - Thank you very much 'ありがとうございます' (Arigatou gozaimasu) - Thank youīy adding 'gozaimasu' after 'arigatou,' you have a more polite saying that's useful at work, with strangers, or around friends you just recently met. In more formal situations, you can dress it up with other words to express your gratitude appropriately. Using 'arigatou' on its own is fine if you're in a situation where it's normal to use casual, informal language. If you want to thank someone in Japanese, you would use the word 'arigatou.' It stems from 'arigatashi' ('to be') and 'katai' ('difficult'), so it literally means 'being alive is hard.' Read ahead and learn about the many different ways to show your 'kansha' ('gratitude'). Whether you plan to travel to Japan or want to converse with a Japanese friend in their native tongue, one of the first things you should learn is how to thank someone. Although occidental cultures like that of America aren't rude, East Asian cultures such as Japan's are quite intentional about proper manners. Showing gratitude is an important part of formal etiquette, and failing to do so would be a blunder in Japanese culture.

When conversing in Japanese, knowing how to say 'thank you' is as critical as knowing how to say 'hello' ('konnichiwa').

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