Domo Means “Really”, “So”, or “Very Much” Sure, if you are a badass anime character go ahead and use “domo” to apologize to the villain, whose plans you have just destroyed. Since you omit the whole latter half and the most important part of the apology it sounds so sloppy and kinda rude. Same as with “ Domo arigato” (どうもありがとう) this is actually an abbreviation of the phrase “ Domo sumimasen” (どうもすみません). However, you really need to watch out when using this as an apology since it sounds so sloppy that it will most likely be considered rude. Domo Means “Sorry” or “My Bad” (extremely casual)Īnother common meaning of the Japanese word “ domo” (どうも) is “ Sorry“, “ I’m sorry“, or “ My bad“. However, if you want to sound polite better use “arigato”. Sometimes you will hear Japanese people use “ domo” as a response to the clerk who thanks them for buying something while handing them the goods they have purchased. It is generally okay to use “ domo” instead of “ arigato” when you are the customer. Since “ Domo” as well as “ Domo domo” sound very casual I suggest using it only when saying thanks to a close (male) friend or a family member. Repeating it doesn’t really alter the meaning of the word, its tone, or politeness, but you can think of it or translate it as “ Thanks a lot!” or “ Many thanks!“. Just like when “ domo” is used as a greeting it can also be said twice. However, it is actually the abbreviation of the phrase “ Domo arigato” (どうもありがとう) and so just saying “domo” can sound a bit insincere or even rude. “ Domo” (どうも) is also used to say thank you and can be translated as “ Thanks!” or “ Thank you!“. But it is very similar to other casual greetings like for example “ Yaa!” (やあ) or the trendy “ Yahhoo!” (ヤッホー), which you may already know from my post “ 26 Ways to Say Hello in Japanese (Common & Fancy Greetings)“. In my opinion, it is a rather masculine greeting that is more commonly used by men than women. But you shouldn’t use the phrase to say hello to your boss, seniors, or strangers. Since “ domo” (どうも) sounds way more casual than “Konnichiwa” (こんにちは) you can use this informal greeting to say “hi” to your close friends, a close coworker, or a neighbor you have known for ages. Sometimes it is also said twice “ Domo domo” but its meaning doesn’t change. As you might tell from the English translations it is a casual way to say hello and should only be used with close friends. “ Domo” or “ Doumo” can be used as a greeting and means “ Hi” or “ Hey“.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the four meanings and their translations! 1. “(thank you) very much“, “(thank you) so much“, “ really (sorry)”, “ so (sorry)”.So the most important and some of the most commonly used translations of the Japanese word “ domo” (どうも) are: It is either a casual greeting, an informal and slightly sloppy apology, a casual way to say thank you, or an adverb that emphasizes the following word. The good news is that you don’t have to worry about most of them because “ domo” (どうも) is mostly used in 4 different ways. much (thanks), very (sorry), quite (regret).When you look it up in a dictionary you will be bombarded with the following English translations ( source). “ Domo” (どうも), also written as “ doumo” or “ dōmo” is one of these Japanese words that have way too many meanings. I will answer the question of whether domo is considered formal, informal, or even rude, and teach you the meaning and translation of the phrases “ Domo domo!“, “ Domo arigato!“, and “ Hai, domo!“. Quite confusing, isn’t it? But no worries! Below you will find in-depth explanations that illustrate the meaning of the Japanese word “ domo” (どうも). “Domo arigato” means “thank you so much” while “Domo sumimasen” means “I’m so sorry”. However, it is also used in certain polite expressions to emphasize the following word. “Domo” (どうも) is a casual phrase that can mean “thanks”, “hi”, “hey”, or “sorry” depending on the context and situation. Here, just take a look at what “domo” can mean. If you have ever heard the word “ Domo” (どうも) in an anime or when traveling in Japan and wondered what it means in Japanese you have come to the right place! For me “ Domo” was one of those Japanese words that were really hard to grasp and understand at first because it has so many meanings and translations.

Totemo knaji