The word ‘thank you’ in Japanese does not involve the speaker or the listener. The word ‘arigatou’ (thank you) means ‘difficult to exist.’ ‘Ari’ means ‘to exist,’ and ‘gatai’ means ‘difficult.’ Therefore, the meaning of ‘arigatou’ is that it is difficult for something to exist. In other words, it conveys the idea that it is something rare, hence the meaning of ‘thank you.’
