How to thank somebody for their hospitality?


Having been on the receiving end of Japanese hospitality quite a bit in the
past week, I'd like to know the best way to thank people for it in Japanese.

I've found several words for "hospitality" but don't know which is closest to
English:

  * 款待{かんたい}
  * 持{も}て成{な}し
  * 厚情{こうじょう}

I also wouldn't be surprised if the best way to thank somebody in this way in
Japanese might not even involve one of these words but rather be phrased very
differently to the English expression for language or cultural reasons.




The more common the phrases are, either in English or Japanese, the less
likely it is that direct or literal translations will sound natural in the
other language. "Thank you for your hospitality" is a prime example of this.

All of the three words that you listed are "big" --- especially 「歓待」 and 「厚情」.
Those two are seldom used in spoken language and when they are used in
writing, they would have to be surrounded by other big Sino loanwords.

「おもてなし」 (PLEASE write this in kana (and add an 「お」)) happens to have been a
trendy phrase the last several months because of this speech at the IOC
meeting in Buenos Aires last year. The phrase, however, is rarely used in
spoken language.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hggygKWwhg>

The most common phrase that we use in situations where you would say "Thank
you for your hospitality" would be:

> 「[大変]{たいへん}お[世話]{せわ}になり、ありがとうございました。」 or
>
> 「大変お世話になりました。（どうも）ありがとうございました。」

