How do I say 'thank you'?

谢谢 is the safest word in Chinese: it cannot offend and it works everywhere. The nuance lives in what you add around it.

Chinese expresses gratitude on a spectrum. For a stranger holding the door, a bare 谢谢 is perfect. For a colleague who stayed late to help you, 太感谢了 or 真的很感谢你 signals that you register the weight of the favor. Doubling to 谢谢谢谢 is common in quick, warm exchanges — a shopkeeper handing you change, someone passing you something — and sounds more natural than a single 谢谢 in those micro-interactions.

The hidden cultural layer: among genuinely close people (family, spouses, childhood friends), saying 谢谢 for everyday things can feel like you are marking distance — as if the relationship is transactional. You will hear less verbal thanks inside Chinese families than in English-speaking ones. This does not mean gratitude is absent; it is expressed through actions (pouring tea, serving food) rather than words.