Be Grateful in Chinese / Japanese...

gǎn xiè

kan sha

감사

感謝 is gratitude; the feeling of being grateful or thankful.

You can think of this as being a formal way of expressing thankfulness in Chinese, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

gǎn jī

kangeki

감격

感激 is thankfulness or being grateful for what you have.

It is an attitude of gratitude for learning, loving and being. Appreciate the little things that happen around you and within you every day. Think positively. Thankfulness brings contentment.

Different meaning in Japanese - more like "deep emotion," "impression," "inspiration" - not recommended for a Japanese audience.

chī shuǐ bú wàng jué jǐng rén

흘수불망굴정인

This proverb suggests that one should always be grateful to those who helped you succeed.

And remember your ancestors and those that came before you whose sacrifices made your present life better.

Some Chinese will separate the intended meaning from this proverb and translate this as "Don't forget the people who once helped you." In Modern China, this idiom is virtually never used to refer to an actual well.

Note: This can be pronounced in Korean but it's not a commonly used phrase.

lǐ

rei

례 or 예

We show respect by speaking and acting with courtesy. We treat others with dignity and honor the rules of our family, school, and nation. Respect yourself, and others will respect you.

礼 is also one of the five tenets of Confucius.

礼, beyond respect, can also be translated as propriety, good manners, politeness, rite, worship or an expression of gratitude.

Please note that Japanese use this simplified 礼 version of the original 禮 character for respect. 礼 also happens to be the same simplification used in mainland China. While 禮 is the traditional and original version, 礼 has been used as a shorthand version for many centuries. Click on the big 禮 character to the right if you want the Traditional Chinese and older Japanese version.

This is also a virtue of the Samurai Warrior
See our page with just Code of the Samurai / Bushido here

See Also:  Confucius

xiè xie

shie shie

謝謝 / 謝々 is how to say thank you in Chinese. It is pronounced a bit like "shea shea" as in the English word for shea butter. Except you pronounce the X like "sh" but with your tongue firmly at the bottom of your mouth.

Unless you are putting this wall scroll near the exit of your store or restaurant to thank customers for coming, it is a bit of an odd selection. A gift of thanks to another person should be a more personal selection with more meaning than a simple thank you. Although common to write xie xie inside a card or letter of thanks.

Technically, this can be pronounced in Japanese but in Japan, it's still the Chinese way to say thank you. It's like an English speaker saying "gracias" (Spanish word for thank you).

arigato

ありがとう is the simple way to say thank you in Japanese.

It's pronounced "Arigato."

Note: Because this title is entirely Japanese Hiragana , it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.