Translation guide
Thanksgiving is a North American holiday. When referring to the holiday itself, the name is usually borrowed directly. For expressing gratitude in general, Japanese uses set phrases and verbs.
Referring to the Thanksgiving holiday celebrated in the United States or Canada.
Standard Japanese name for the Thanksgiving holiday. Often used with アメリカの or カナダの to specify.
アメリカでは、11月の第4木曜日が感謝祭です。
In the US, the fourth Thursday of November is Thanksgiving.
Katakana borrowing from English. Common in casual conversation or when the holiday is already understood from context.
サンクスギビングには七面鳥を食べるんだって。
I hear they eat turkey on Thanksgiving.
Full borrowed form, less common than サンクスギビング alone.
サンクスギビングデーは家族で集まる日です。
Thanksgiving Day is a day for families to get together.
Giving thanks or expressing gratitude, not necessarily tied to the holiday.
The verb 'to thank' or 'to be grateful'. Used in formal and written contexts.
日頃のご支援に感謝します。
I am grateful for your ongoing support.
The most common way to say 'thank you'. Casual to polite depending on form.
手伝ってくれてありがとう。
Thank you for helping me.
Literally 'feeling of gratitude'. Used to talk about giving thanks as a concept.
感謝の気持ちを伝えたいです。
I want to express my gratitude.
To say thanks, often for a specific favor or gift.
お世話になった方にお礼を言いました。
I thanked the person who helped me.
感謝祭 is the standard dictionary term and is understood by most Japanese speakers. サンクスギビング is common in casual speech, especially among people familiar with American culture. In formal writing or news, 感謝祭 is preferred.
Japan has a similar holiday called 勤労感謝の日 (Labor Thanksgiving Day) on November 23, but it is not the same as the North American Thanksgiving. Do not use 感謝祭 to refer to the Japanese holiday; use 勤労感謝の日 instead.
感謝祭にはごちそうを食べました。
We had a big Thanksgiving dinner.