Say Thank you in Japanese"Arigato" can be used only among friends. It will be rude if you say "Arigato" to a person older than you. "Arigato gozaimasu" is polite, but it may sound a little too polite. If you say "Arigato gozaimasu" each time, people may look on you as humbling yourself too much.
"Domo" is a convenient word. You can say it to whomever you want to thank. It is not too light or too heavy. When someone has done something for you, you can say "domo." For example, when someone picks up the handkerchief you have dropped, you can say "domo" to him or her.
The speed of saying it is important. The slower you say it, the more you can express your gratitude and politeness. When you want to say "Thanks." to your friends, you can say "domo" quickly. But a quick "domo" is not appropriate when you have, for instance, been helped a lot by others. In that case, you should say slowly, "Ah...Do..mo.." You should not forget to bow to the person you thank!
Another common expression is "Suimasen" or "Sumimasen."
In textbooks, these are explained as expression for apology. Yes, it is true.
But you should remember these words are often used for expressing your gratitude.
If you are not confident about controling the speed of saying "domo," it will be safer to use "suimasen" instead, especially when you thank a person older than you.
Some other areas of Japan have their own way to convey the same idea and when you are in Osaka you can use the word ‘ookini’ . 
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3 comments:
Thank you! Really helpful! :D
Ariqato Gozaimasu! ^^
would sumimasen be appropriate to apologize to a professor for missing lecture and to thank her for sending notes then?
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