てくれてありがとう — Thank you for doing (gratitude for action)
Expresses gratitude for a specific action someone has done for you. "Thank you for [doing X]."
Structure
[Verb te-form] + くれて + ありがとう(ございます)
Examples
手伝ってくれてありがとう。
Tetsudatte kurete arigatou.
Thank you for helping me.
手伝って + くれて (did for me) + ありがとう
来てくれてありがとうございます。
Kite kurete arigatou gozaimasu.
Thank you for coming.
来て + くれて + ありがとうございます (polite)
誕生日にプレゼントを送ってくれてありがとう。
Tanjoubi ni purezento o okutte kurete arigatou.
Thank you for sending me a present for my birthday.
送って + くれて (did for me) + ありがとう
• Key Concept: More specific than just ありがとう — names the exact action someone did for you. • Detail: てもらってありがとう is also possible (emphasizing the receiving). • Summary: てくれてありがとうございました (past, formal) for thanking after an event.
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones てくれてありがとう is tested against.
vs 〜てもらってありがとう
てくれて frames it from the giver's side (they did it for me); てもらって frames it from the receiver's side (I received the favor). Both thank for the action; てくれて feels a touch warmer/more direct.
vs 〜ていただきありがとうございます
てくれて is casual-to-neutral; 〜ていただきありがとうございます is the humble/keigo version for superiors or business settings.
More expressions
Study Japanese grammar on LenGaki
Everything on this page, free to browse
- 7,788 JLPT vocabulary words, N5 through N1, with readings and audio
- 2,057 kanji with on'yomi, kun'yomi and stroke-order practice
- 444 grammar points with examples and commonly-confused comparisons
- Full-length N5 and N4 mock exams, timed, with real listening audio
Get the Android app