Thinking More Deeply About Japanese Through Simple Greetings

どうもありがとうございます。
ありがとうございます。
ありがとう。
どうも。

All four can be ways to say thank you. In daily life, I often hear Japanese people say something that sounds like “ありがとうございまー”.

I think ありがとうございます is suitable when thanking a stranger for help. If you are a customer thanking a service worker, ありがとう often feels natural enough.

Using the most formal expression all the time can actually sound unnatural. We need to understand and fit into the daily rhythm of local life, and try not to make naturally smooth interactions feel awkward.

With acquaintances and friends, ありがとう or どうも is usually enough.

Japan has many elderly people. When you go out, you often see very old people driving by themselves and handling many things independently. If you see someone who seems to need help, it is better to first say だいじょうぶですか。おてつだいしましょうか。 I do not think we should just step in and help without saying anything.

In developed countries, people generally place a high value on personal independence. Respect for independence and freedom should come first. We should not treat “I am doing this for your own good” as automatic positive energy.

ございます

Common greetings are often the first Japanese phrases we learn, such as ありがとうございます and お早うございます.

If you pay attention, these phrases contain many grammar points you will study later.

Today I want to talk about ございます. Why does this word appear at the end of many phrases, and why is it sometimes optional?

It turns out that ございます is the honorific form of あります. That is one point worth remembering.

Written in kanji, it is 御座います, which makes it look like a verb. The dictionary form might seem to be 御座う, but that feels wrong. A two-kanji verb followed by う does not match the usual patterns teachers explain. Since it is the honorific form of ある, 御座る seems more reasonable.

After looking it up, it is indeed 御座る. Then why is the masu-form not 御座ります?

Apparently, the form changed long ago. When you think about how it sounds, ございます does roll off the tongue more smoothly and pleasantly.

Chinese has many similar phenomena. For example, people often say 凯旋而归. If you analyze it, it feels odd because 凯旋 already contains the meaning of returning victorious. Adding 而归 repeats the idea. The older form should probably be 凯旋归来. But we have to admit, 凯旋而归 sounds smooth and has a certain force.

お休みなさい

“Good night” in Japanese is お休みなさい or お休み. When I first started learning Japanese, the teacher would say 休みましょう after each class.

There are also breaks during part-time work. When I first started working, a Japanese coworker said きゅうけい to me. I had not encountered the word before, but I guessed it meant a break, so I asked, “やすみ?” My coworker looked confused and then wrote 休憩 for me.

Later I realized that 休憩 and 休み are like the difference between a short break and a holiday. If the teacher says class is over for a break, and you tell your classmate, “Holiday time!”, they will probably think something is wrong with you. That also explains why my coworker looked so puzzled.

When learning a language, many things that look simple still deserve careful thought.