Chinese character for gratitude: 感恩 (gǎn'ēn)
The Chinese word for gratitude is 感恩 (gǎn'ēn). It means to feel grateful for kindness received, as in 感恩的心 (a grateful heart). To simply say thank you, Chinese uses 谢谢 (xièxie).
How 感恩 is built
感 (gǎn) has 咸 (xián) above 心 (heart); it means to feel or be moved. 恩 (ēn) has 因 (yīn, cause) above 心 (heart), meaning kindness or a favor. As a memory aid, 恩 is a heart that remembers the cause of kindness, and 感恩 is feeling that kindness deeply. Both characters contain the heart 心 and are identical in simplified and traditional Chinese.
感 gǎn · feeling
- 咸xián — all
- 戊wù — 5th heavenly stem
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 戈gē — spear
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 戊wù — 5th heavenly stem
- 心xīn — heart
Origin hint: Two hearts 心 beating together 咸 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
恩 ēn · kindness
- 因yīn — cause
- 囗wéi — enclosure
- 冂 — frame
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 大dà — big
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 人rén — person
- 囗wéi — enclosure
- 心xīn — heart
How 感恩 is used
Other ways to say gratitude
- 感谢 gǎnxiè — to thank, be thankful
- 谢谢 xièxie — thank you
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 感恩 is identical in both scripts; both characters end in 心, so artists should keep the two hearts consistent in style.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for gratitude?
感恩 (gǎn'ēn) means “gratitude”.
How do you pronounce 感恩?
感恩 is pronounced gǎn'ēn.