Can the ~てくれてありがとう form be used to thank someone for more general actions?


If I would like to thank someone for their work (in the context of "wow! what
a lovely sculpture! thank you for your effort/for letting us see this!" or
"thank you for writing about this subject, it's pretty obscure!"), would the
~てくれて form still be the best choice to express this? From what I know so far,
あげる/くれる/もらう are used for a pretty of personal level of giving and receiving,
but I of course don't want my thanks to imply the person created whatever they
did specifically for me (or for anyone but themselves, really!)




If you want to thank someone you don't know personally for their work, you can
use "-していただきありがとうございます", honorifics in Japanese to express psychological
distance and respect at the same time.

This kind of honorific means to express your gratitude; "I have so much
respect for you because I can't do something so amazing like you can! You are
an amazing person in a very high place compared to me!"




If you want to thank someone you don't know personally for their work, you can
use "-していただきありがとうございます", honorifics in Japanese to express psychological
distance and respect at the same time.

This kind of honorific means to express your gratitude; "I have so much
respect for you because I can't do something so amazing like you can! You are
an amazing person in a very high place compared to me!"

