1.
thank you for your hard work; thanks for the trouble
An expression used to thank someone for their effort or labor, typically said by someone of higher status to someone of lower status. Carries a nuance of acknowledging the difficulty of the work.
ご苦労さまです。
Thank you for your hard work.
配達員にご苦労さまですと声をかけた。
I said 'thank you for the trouble' to the delivery person.
雨の中、遠くからご苦労さまでした。
Thank you for coming all the way here in the rain.
An important social expression in Japanese with strict usage rules based on social hierarchy.
USAGE RULES:
- Used by a superior to a subordinate, or to service workers (delivery people, repairmen, etc.)
- NOT appropriate from a subordinate to a superior — use お疲れさまです instead
- Using ご苦労さまです to a boss or senior colleague is considered rude
- ご苦労さまでした (past tense) is used when the work is completed
COMMON VARIATIONS:
- ご苦労さま: slightly less formal
- ご苦労さまでした: past tense, used when work is done
- ご苦労さん: casual, among friends or to children
SIMILAR EXPRESSIONS:
- お疲れさまです: thank you for your work — safe to use with anyone, including superiors
- お疲れさまでした: thank you for your work (completed) — the standard end-of-day greeting