to thank; be grateful
HSK level
感谢 is written with 25 strokes (感: 13, 谢: 12). The animation replays automatically.
感谢 (gǎnxiè) is a verb meaning to thank sincerely or express gratitude — a weightier, more formal counterpart to everyday 谢谢.
It appears in speeches, letters, and heartfelt acknowledgments: 感谢大家的支持 'thank you all for your support.' It can also work as a noun ('gratitude'). The difference from English 'thank' is one of register, not meaning: English 'thank' covers everything from a casual 'thanks' to a formal speech, but in Chinese you'd use light 谢谢 for handing you a pen and reserve 感谢 for genuine, significant gratitude.
Saying 我感谢你 to a friend for a tiny favor sounds oddly heavy. The intensified form 十分感谢 / 非常感谢 ('thank you very much') is common in polite and written contexts. Compare 感激 (gǎnjī), which stresses the inner feeling of being deeply indebted.
Note: More heartfelt and formal than 谢谢. Reserve 感谢 for sincere or written thanks (speeches, letters, big favors); for everyday small thank-yous, 谢谢 is what natives actually say.
Character by character
Memory hook: 感 (feel) + 谢 (thank) — thanks you truly feel, not just polite thanks.
非常感谢你的帮助！
Fēicháng gǎnxiè nǐ de bāngzhù!
Thank you so much for your help!
polite
感谢大家今天的到来。
Gǎnxiè dàjiā jīntiān de dàolái.
Thank you all for coming today.
formal
我想借这个机会感谢我的老师。
Wǒ xiǎng jiè zhège jīhuì gǎnxiè wǒ de lǎoshī.
I'd like to take this chance to thank my teacher.
formal
他写了一封感谢信给医生。
Tā xiě le yì fēng gǎnxiè xìn gěi yīshēng.
He wrote a thank-you letter to the doctor.
written
谢谢 is the everyday, light thank-you for small courtesies. 感谢 is heavier and more formal, for sincere or public gratitude. Use 谢谢 in daily life; 感谢 in speeches, letters, or for real favors.
感激 stresses the deep inner feeling of being indebted, often for a life-changing kindness. 感谢 is the act of expressing thanks. You feel 感激 and express 感谢.
Acquire it by listening
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