Being thankful to people and expressing it in return is the best way to convey the gratitude. After the invasion of English, even in most remote places of Telugu speaking states, many people have started saying thank you in English. But how to say thank you in Telugu itself?
The exact meaning of “Thank you” in Telugu is “Kr̥tajñatalu”. You should be careful enough to pronounce this word as there is similar sounding word (Krutagnata) which would mean “Cruelty”.
కృతజ్ఞతలు – Kr̥tajñatalu – Thanks
We often combine “Kr̥tajñatalu” along with some other words to give a proper context and to be respectful.
కృతజ్ఞతలండి. మీరు చాలా సహాయం చేశారు.
Kr̥tajñatalaṇḍi. Mīru cālā sahāyaṁ cēśāru.
Here, “Kr̥tajñatalaṇḍi” is a combination of 2 words, “Kr̥tajñatalu” and “aṇḍi”. We prefix “aṇḍi” for elderly or respected people.
“Mīru cālā sahāyaṁ cēśāru.” means you have helped me a lot.
But, as I mentioned earlier, people now have moved on. They usually say “Thanks-aṇḍi” to elders and unknowns.
For friends or of the same age, you can say “Thanks-ra” to a male friend, “Thank-say” to a female friend.
| Word | Meaning | Written |
|---|---|---|
| Kr̥tajñatalu | Thanks | కృతజ్ఞతలు |
| Kr̥tajñatalaṇḍi | Thank you | కృతజ్ఞతలండి |
| Mīru | You | మీరు |
| cālā | so much | చాలా |
| sahāyaṁ | help | సహాయం |
| cēśāru | did | చేశారు |
If somebody did a lot of help that you want to convey them, you owe to them, you would say “Nēnu mīku r̥ṇapaḍi unnānu”.
| Word | Meaning | Written |
|---|---|---|
| Nēnu | I | నేను |
| mīku | to you | మీకు |
| r̥ṇapaḍi | owed | ఋణపడి |
| unnānu | am | ఉన్నాను |