日本語の語源Vol2- ありがとう Origins of Japanese Words Vol 2- Arigatou

｢ありがとう｣を漢字で書くと｢有難う｣です。

親切や恩恵を受けたり、贈り物をもらって感激して、｢こんな幸せは滅多に無い。奇跡のようだ。｣という意味で使い始めました。侍のドラマでも｢有り難き幸せ・・｣というセリフを良く耳にします。

これとは別に、ポルトガル語の "obrigado" オブリガートが、日本に伝わったという説もあります。ポルトガルからも色々な文化の伝承がありましたが、この説には異論が多いようです。

｢Thank you｣ in Japanese ｢arigatou｣ ｢ありがとう｣ can be written in kanji as ｢有難う｣.

It is used to express one’s gratitude when he/she receives kindness, favours or gifts from others. Originally, ｢arigatou｣ ｢ありがとう｣ holds the meaning that the happiness of receiving goodwill from others is such a rarity that it seems like a miracle. Often, in Samurai dramas, we can hear such expressions being used as well.

On the other hand, it is also believed that ｢arigatou｣ ｢ありがとう｣ could have originated from "obrigado", which is a Portuguese word. Although the Portuguese’s culture has been handed down from generation to generation, it seems like this conception of the origin of ｢arigatou｣ ｢ありがとう｣is not acknowledged by many.