How to Reply to Arigato in Japanese: Recorded Replies and Practice
Reply to Japanese thanks with どういたしまして, いいえ、とんでもないです and いいよ. Hear the differences and practise the recorded exchange.
By LiamCulture & nuance · Yapr Learn
Someone thanks you for helping. What can you say next? Start with the recorded reply どういたしまして, meaning You’re welcome, then compare the reassuring reply いいえ、気にしないで, meaning No, don’t worry about it. This lesson separates the person receiving help from the person replying to their thanks. Practise the complete exchange before choosing among the other recorded responses. The relationship and situation affect the choice; there is no single reply required whenever you hear ありがとう.
By the end, you can…
- understand the recorded replies to thanks.
- play the helper’s role in the four-turn dialogue.
- distinguish a casual reply from an expression containing polite です.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
どういたしまして
You're welcome
dō itashimashite
A familiar expression meaning You’re welcome. Practise it as B’s first reply in this dialogue; it is not restricted to one type of relationship.
いいえ、とんでもないです
No, not at all / Don't mention it
iie, tondemonai desu
A polite way to downplay the help: No, not at all or Don’t mention it. The ending です contributes to the polite form. Learn the recorded expression as a whole.
うん、どういたしまして
Yeah, you're welcome
un, dō itashimashite
This recording begins with casual うん, meaning Yeah, followed by You’re welcome. Compare its opening with the recording of どういたしまして on its own.
いいよ
It's fine / No problem
ii yo
A casual reply meaning It’s fine or No problem in this thanks context. In other contexts it can express agreement or permission; listen to what came before it.
気にしないで
Don't worry about it
ki ni shinaide
A reassuring reply meaning Don’t worry about it. Compare this phrase with B’s final dialogue line, which begins with いいえ, meaning No.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Listen for thanks, then give a reply
In the dialogue, A received help and says 手伝ってくれてありがとう: Thank you for helping me. B is the helper and replies どういたしまして: You’re welcome. A then adds 本当に助かったよ: You really helped me out. B responds いいえ、気にしないで: No, don’t worry about it. These are two successive responses within the same exchange. Keep B as the helper rather than asking B to thank A for the help.
Compare the recorded responses
いいえ、とんでもないです contains the polite ending です and downplays the favor. いいよ is casual; use it here as No problem rather than as a new offer of help. 気にしないで reassures the person who thanked you. The recording うん、どういたしまして begins with casual Yeah. These expressions do not create an automatic rule about bosses, friends or strangers. For the first rehearsal, follow the sample dialogue exactly; later compare how the different recorded replies sound.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
手伝ってくれてありがとう。
Thank you for helping me.Tetsudatte kurete arigatō.どういたしまして。
You're welcome.Dō itashimashite.本当に助かったよ。
You really helped me out.Hontō ni tasukatta yo.いいえ、気にしないで。
No, don't worry about it.Iie, ki ni shinaide.A little context goes a long way
Replies to thanks depend on the relationship, situation and the thing being acknowledged. Avoid turning one sample exchange into a rule for every friend or workplace. Here the useful distinction is in the recordings: the expression ending in です uses a polite form, while うん and いいよ are casual. Listen to complete turns before practising your own reply.
One thing to watch for
Treating どういたしまして as a phrase that must never be used with friends or must always be used with a boss.
Try this instead: It means You’re welcome, but this lesson does not prescribe one reply for every relationship. Practise B’s two recorded responses in the sample exchange, then compare the other phrase recordings. Keep the meaning and speaker role clear.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1A says 手伝ってくれてありがとう。 Give B’s first recorded reply.
Show a sample answer
どういたしまして。
A is thanking the helper. B replies You’re welcome. Play A’s line, pause, speak B’s reply, then play the matching response to check.
2Which phrase recording gives the casual reply No problem or It’s fine?
Show a sample answer
いいよ
いいよ is the phrase to find. In this exercise it is a response to thanks. Compare it with the separate expression いいえ、とんでもないです, which contains the polite ending です.
3Listen to 本当に助かったよ。 Who is speaking, what does it mean, and how does B reply in the recording?
Show a sample answer
A says You really helped me out. B replies いいえ、気にしないで。
A received help; B provided it. B’s reply means No, don’t worry about it. Replay the final two dialogue lines, then practise them in order without swapping the roles.
4Cover B’s lines and play A’s two dialogue turns. Reply from memory, then check both complete recordings.
Show a sample answer
First: どういたしまして。 Second: いいえ、気にしないで。
These are the model replies for this specific exchange. Say each after its matching A turn rather than joining them into one response. Swap roles afterward and practise the two lines spoken by the person receiving help.
Hear thanks, identify who received the help, and reply as the helper. Rehearse B’s recorded どういたしまして and いいえ、気にしないで, then compare the other phrase cards without treating relationships as rigid rules.
Progress is saved on this browser.
Practice real time conversations on Yapr for faster learning.
Put today’s Japanese into a conversation with an AI tutor. Speak, make mistakes, and try again.
Practice on Yapr