ありがたい・有難い・有り難いarigatai[4]nakadaka (mid-high)

JLPT N2approx.Common
Which spelling to use
有難い有難い is the more common of the two kanji-and-kana spellings, expressing gratitude or that something is welcome or appreciated.
有り難い有り難い is a less common alternative kanji-and-kana spelling, with the same grateful, thankful, welcome, or appreciated meaning.
Definitions
  1. i-adjectivegrateful; thankful; welcome; appreciated; evoking gratitude
    どんなインプットでもいただければありがたいです。↗
    Any input would be appreciated!
Conjugation
Plain formありがたい
Polite (desu)ありがたいです
Negative (kunai)ありがたくない
polite (ku arimasen)ありがたくありません
Past (katta)ありがたかった
Past negative (kunakatta)ありがたくなかった
Te form (kute)ありがたくて
Adverbial (ku)ありがたく
Conditional (kereba)ありがたければ
kattaraありがたかったら

Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.

Synonyms & antonyms
  • SynonymかたじけないWrittenOld-fashioned word for feeling deeply indebted to someone; heard mostly in period dramas as 「かたじけない」. In everyday speech, say 「ありがたい」.
  • Related嬉しいうれしいNeutralMeans happy or glad and centers on your own feelings; 「ありがたい」 centers on gratitude for someone's kindness.
  • Related幸甚こうじんWrittenWritten/formal prose, used mainly in letters: 「〜いただければ幸甚です」 means you would be most grateful if something could be done.
  • Antonym迷惑なNeutralThe opposite of 「ありがたい」 in terms of benefit versus harm: it means a nuisance, something that causes trouble or annoyance.
  • Antonym有り難くないNeutralThe negative form of the headword: not worth being grateful for, unwelcome.

Use 「ありがたい」 when you are grateful for someone's kindness or something is more than welcome; use 「嬉しい」 for your own happiness; 「幸甚」 fits letters of thanks; the antonym is 「迷惑」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

Japanese definitions
  1. (原義げんぎ)滅多めったにない。
  2. 相手あいての好意こういが嬉うれしい。感謝かんしゃしたい。
  3. 状況じょうきょうが好都合こうつごうだ。助たすかる。さいわいだ。
  4. とても恭うやうやしい。神々こうごうしい。尊とうとい。もったいない。
English equivalents
See also

JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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