Is there a difference in how and when these are used? Is one more formal than the other?
Also, while we're at it 죄송합니다 and 미안합니다, same quesrion.
I hear them used, but not sure if they have different contexts/formalities or if they're interchangeable.
감사합니다 is defo more formal than 고맙습니다. If we are strictly comparing 감사합니다 vs 고맙습니다, while they can be interchangeable in a lot of situations where formality isn't the utmost priority, there are subtle differences in usage.
Tbf there would be virtually zero issue if anyone, native speaker or a learner, just used 감사합니다 as a default (and the only) way of expressing gratitude in any conceivable realistic situation to any person since it's more formal and nore widely used. BUT there are times it might be more fitting to say 고맙습니다 due to the fact that it sounds more friendly, more personable, and usually more emotionally connected.
Note if you are taking into consideration the degrees of formality and you want to be slightly less formal, you almost always say 고마워요 instead of 감사해요 (not unheard of but not common). 고마워요 is very appropriate in all friendly situations where 존댓말 is still preferred over 반말. Similar case when you are using 반말 - 고마워 is the default, 감사해 is seldom used if ever. (Basically 감사합니다 is normal and natural but 감사해요 or 감사해 sounds awkward. 감사해 in particular sounds weirdly religious and archaic like you are not thanking your friend and instead you talking to your friend about how grateful you are for the bountiful harvest from the gods or something)
Sorry if this ended up being too long and wordy lol
Tldr : When you have to be formal, 감사합니다 is the one to use. While 고맙습니다 is not totally inappropriate, it has its own unique uses, so they are somewhat interchangeable but not 100%.
When less formal, use 고마워요, not 감사해요. When it's okay to use 반말, use 고마워/고맙다, never 감사해.
(edit to fix weird phone formatting)
Oh also 죄송합니다 is like 감사합니다 in that it is more formal and can be used in any situation to any person. I however would not consider 미안합니다 an appropriate substitute for 죄송합니다 as some people might think it's rude that you opted for the less formal version (fr) and be offended.
When less formal, 미안해요 and 죄송해요 are both used commonly but 죄송해요 is more formal and polite (tbh it makes you slighly more remorseful lol)
When using 반말, 미안해 always.
Thank you! Definitely not too long, it really helped explain it! :)
From what I understand, 감사하다 is a little more polite/formal than 고맙다, which may seem a little more personal/warmer? 감사하다 is Sino-Korean, 고맙다 is native Korean.
And then for the two ways of saying 'sorry' that you mentioned, I believe that 미안하다 is more casual and for smaller/less-serious mistakes, a regular "I'm sorry", while 죄송합니다 would be more formal, like, "I apologize for..."
미안해요! -> oops, sorry! | 죄송합니다 -> My apologies....
Thank you! That's interesting about Sino-korean. Does that have influence on how formal it's perceived?
Like in English, french origin words are often seen more formal than Germanic ones, because after the Normans invaded, nobility spoke French whereas common people spoke (Germanic) old English. Is it a similar thing? (Complete side tangent that you might not even know TBF, just curious)
actually you’re kinda in the ballpark for the Anglo equivalent. that‘s a good thought source.
generally for Korean, sino Korean words are seen as more formal and professional by nature of its history and usage, much like how French was used by the aristocrats. so when you're starting to learn professional korean, you'll find the sino equivalent of native korean words being used.
감사하다 is sino Korean, whereas 고맙다 is native Korean, so in terms of 'feeling' the former is more formal than the latter.
in the same thread, 최소하다 (sino) and 미안하다 (native).
Thanks! I'm quite early in my learning Korea journey and don't know whether a lot of vocab is sino or native, but this kind of context I'm sure will help me as I learn more.
Also just super interesting to learn how language use evolved.
고맙다 is more "intimate" than 감사하다. Use it with close friends and family members.
죄송합니다 is showing more respect/deference/politeness to the listener than 미안합니다. Use it with bosses, customers, strangers you aren't on close terms with, etc.
Thank you 😊
The other commentators have explained the major difference between 감사하다 and 고맙다, so I'll comment a bit on something that wasn't touched on.
감사해요 not being in common usage as the equivalent of "thanks" is correct. For that, you'd opt for 고마워요, as others have mentioned. However, 감사해요 does have its use in a sentence, mostly when you're expressing gratitude for something. For example:
오늘 식사를 할 수 있게 되어서 감사해요. I'm thankful for being able to eat today.
Interestingly, this is not quite interchangeable with 고마워요. If you do that, the meanings change:
오늘 식사를 할 수 있게 되어서 고마워요. Thank you for providing me with food.
The "intimacy" thing is in effect. 고맙다 would be personally directed to the one you're talking to, while 감사하다 is more formal and thus being a bit distant and generic.
Tyler Rasch, a well-known American celebrity in Korea, once asked a famous Korean language educator about this. The answer he got was that “감사합니다” is a verb, while “고맙습니다” is an adjective.
As a native Korean speaker, I 100% agree with this explanation. I think all the other explanations people have mentioned can basically be summarized by this distinction.
Another difference is that “감사합니다” is a Sino-Korean word, while “고맙습니다” is a pure native Korean word.
감사+합니다(하다,한) 죄송+합니다(하다,한)
~합니다=친하지 않은 타인에게 격식있게 말할때 EX) 죄송합니다, 감사합니다, 미안합니다 등
~하다= 친분이 있는 지인,친구,가족에게 할수있는 말 EX) 고맙다., 반갑다., 미안하다. 등
They are the same. 고맙습니다. can be a little casual among friends. So it's uncommon to see
감사하다. Usually used as 감사합니다. 감사해요.
고맙다 can be used in both 고맙다. 고맙습니다. 고마워요.
I think I was trying to put them both into dictionary form for my title because I'm still getting used to all the different endings