How to Say “Thank you” in Korean: 고맙습니다 (gomapseumnida)

고맙습니다

gomapseumnida

Situation: Greetings & basicsLevel: Starter (just learning Hangul)

Meaning

Thank you.

고맙다 is a native Korean word, so it sounds a little warmer and more everyday than the Sino-Korean 감사합니다, with the same politeness.

Romanization follows the Revised Romanization system and is a guide to pronunciation.

Syllables: 5 · Words: 1

Said aloud, it sounds like [고맙씀니다].

Syllable	Letters (consonant + vowel + final)	Romanization
고	ㄱ+ㅗ	go
맙	ㅁ+ㅏ+ㅂ	map
습	ㅅ+ㅡ+ㅂ	[씀] seum
니	ㄴ+ㅣ	ni
다	ㄷ+ㅏ	da

Tensing: after a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ sound, ㄱ, ㄷ, ㅂ, ㅅ and ㅈ become tense (ㄲ, ㄸ, ㅃ, ㅆ, ㅉ). 맙습니 → [맙씀니]
Nasalization: a final ㄱ, ㄷ or ㅂ becomes ㅇ, ㄴ or ㅁ before ㄴ or ㅁ (and a ㄹ after ㅁ or ㅇ becomes ㄴ). 습니 → [슴니]

Style: Formal polite (합쇼체)Sentence type: Statement or set phrase

Ends in -ㅂ니다 or -습니다. The most formal polite style, used for announcements, presentations, business and first meetings.

Test yourself before you move on. Tap an answer.

Question 1 What does “고맙습니다” mean?

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Answer: Thank you

Question 2 How is “고맙습니다” pronounced?

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Answer: [고맙씀니다]

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