Different ways to say Thank you

If you don’t know this already, there are two different ways to say “Thank you” in Cantonese and it is often very confusing to Cantonese learners.

Yes, there are two different ways to say “Thank you” in Cantonese. For small favors, you will also use 唔該 m4 goi1, whereas, for bigger favors, you will say 多謝 do1 ze6.

It is very confusing between 唔該 m4 goi1 and 多謝 do1 ze6, one simple way to differentiate the two is to consider if money is involved in the situation. When you receive a gift or a promotion, since you are receiving something with monetary value, you will use 多謝 do1 ze6. On the other hand, in a situation where the money is not involved, for instance, someone holding the elevator for you, you will say 唔該 m4 goi1.

There is no “Please” in Cantonese, in a situation when you need to say “Please,” say 唔該 m4 goi1.

“Thank you”

唔該 m4 goi1

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Again, for something more than a small favor, e.g. when you receive a gift or someone bought you dinner, you should say 多謝 do1 ze6.

“Thank you”

多謝 do1 ze6

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When someone gives you their congratulations, which is 恭喜 gung1 hei2, you should always reply with 多謝 do1 ze6 even if there’s no gift or money involved in this situation

To express more sincere gratitude, you may add 晒 saai3 at the end of the phrase. Which has a similar meaning to “very much” in this context

“Thank you very much”

多謝晒 do1 ze6 saai3

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“Thank you very very much“

好多謝晒 hou2 do1 ze6 saai3

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Be aware that it is correct to say 唔該晒 m4 goi1 saai3 but you can’t say 好唔該晒 hou2 m4 goi1 saai3

There’s also a more subtle way to thank people for their hard work. Or someone finished a tough task for you. The word 辛苦 san1 fu2 in Cantonese means something very tough and challenging.

“Thank you for your hard work”

辛苦晒 san1 fu2 saai3

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For situations such as:

• When a friend helped you move house
• Your employee finished a difficult task
• Your Cantonese teacher put together this free learning website

Sometimes if someone spends his/her time helping you with something particularly annoying. The word 麻煩 maa4 faan4 in Cantonese means “hassle” or “to trouble.”

“Thank you for dealing with the trouble”

麻煩晒 maa4 faan4 saai3

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For situations such as:

• When a friend helped you sort out your tax return
• Your employee ran errands for you
• Your Cantonese teacher changed his schedule for you