“o-tsukaresama・go-kurousama”: Thank You for Your Hard Work (keigo distinction) [JLPT N2]

Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026

Comparing the keigo for thanking others for their effort

「お疲れ様です！」 — the ‘good work' Japanese offices say all day long

Step into a Japanese office and colleagues exchange 「お疲れ様です！」 (good work!) all day — 「お疲れ様・ご苦労様」 are both greetings thanking someone for their effort, but with one key distinction: 「お疲れ様」 works for anyone up or down (the safest, most general), while 「ご苦労様」 is superior-to-subordinate (rude if used to a superior). Using the wrong one is awkward at work. This guide covers these two thanking phrases' keigo distinction and settings.

Core: thanking effort, but ‘who you use it to' differs

Both mean “good work, thanks for your effort,” differing in the up-down relation of the addressee:

• お疲れ様（です／でした）= good work (works for anyone up or down, most general): usable to superiors, colleagues, subordinates — the safest, most common workplace thanking/greeting: 部長、お疲れ様です (Section Chief, good work).
• ご苦労様（です／でした）= good work (superior to subordinate): usable only from a higher person to a lower (boss to staff, senior to junior); rude if used to a superior/senior: (president to staff) ご苦労様.

Feel: “good work” — the core is thanking someone's effort, but 「お疲れ様」 has no up-down restriction, is the safest; 「ご苦労様」 carries a ‘superior-to-subordinate' directionality, and using the wrong addressee (saying it to a superior) is rude. When unsure, always use 「お疲れ様」 — safest.

Usage summary

Examples in context

• (leaving work, to a colleague) 「お先に失礼します」「お疲れ様でした」(I'm off first / good work today)
• (after a meeting, to a superior) 部長、本日はお疲れ様でした。(Section Chief, thank you for today.) — お疲れ様 to a superior (○)
• (boss to staff) 今日は残業してくれて、ご苦労様。(Thanks for the overtime today.) — ご苦労様 superior-to-subordinate (○)
• (to a delivery person) 雨の中、ご苦労様です。(Thanks for delivering in the rain.) — superior-to/thanking service
• (among friends) 「今日の練習、きつかったね」「お疲れ！」(Today's practice was rough / good work!) — casual peers

⚠️ Easy traps to avoid

① 「ご苦労様」 can't be used to a superior/senior (it's superior-to-subordinate). This is the most important, most easily-rude trap. 「ご苦労様」 is a ‘higher person thanking a lower person' phrase — used boss-to-staff, senior-to-junior, or to thank someone serving you (delivery, workers). Saying 「ご苦労様」 to a superior, senior, or client is rude, because it thanks them in a “superior-to-subordinate” way, seeming condescending: × (to a Section Chief) 「部長、ご苦労様です」 (rude!) → ○ 「部長、お疲れ様です.」 So to superiors, always use 「お疲れ様」 — never 「ご苦労様.」 Mnemonic: ご苦労様 = only downward (to subordinates/juniors); never to a superior.

② When unsure, use 「お疲れ様」 — safest and most general. 「お疲れ様（です／でした）」 has no up-down restriction, usable to superiors, colleagues, subordinates — the safest, most general workplace thanking/greeting. So whenever you're unsure of the up-down relation, or the other person outranks you, always use 「お疲れ様」 — never rude. It's also the office's all-day all-purpose greeting — said on meeting, when passing in the hall, at parting when leaving (almost a workplace version of “hello/goodbye”). Remember: unsure → お疲れ様 (always safe).

③ 「お疲れ様です」 vs 「お疲れ様でした」: ongoing vs after it's done. A small tense distinction. 「お疲れ様です」 (present) is for greetings, mid-work, passing encounters: (entering the office in the morning) 「お疲れ様です」, (passing a colleague) 「お疲れ様です.」 「お疲れ様でした」 (past) is for after something is done: parting when leaving, when work/a meeting/an event ends: (leaving) 「お疲れ様でした」, (event over) 「皆さん、お疲れ様でした.」 In short: still ongoing/greeting → お疲れ様です; already done → お疲れ様でした. Also, among close friends, cohort, it can shorten to 「お疲れ」 (casual colloquial), but to superiors/formal settings use the full 「お疲れ様です／でした.」

🔄 Compare: お疲れ様／ご苦労様／お疲れ／頑張って

💡 The key point in use

「お疲れ様・ご苦労様」 both thank “good work,” but who you use it to is key — three points: ① 「お疲れ様」 works for anyone up or down, safest and most general — when unsure, or to a superior, always use it, never rude; ② 「ご苦労様」 is superior-to-subordinate — only a higher person thanking a lower (boss to staff, thanking delivery/workers); using 「ご苦労様」 to a superior/senior is rude, a workplace taboo; ③ tense — ongoing/greeting use 「お疲れ様です」, after it's done use 「お疲れ様でした.」 Also, 「お疲れ」 is the casual version among peers; 「頑張って (good luck)」 is prior encouragement, not after-the-fact thanks. A life-saver in one line: in a Japanese workplace, thanking anyone, 「お疲れ様です」 is safest; never say 「ご苦労様」 to a superior.

❓ Questions you might have

Q: 「お疲れ様」 and 「ご苦労様」 both mean ‘good work' — are they interchangeable?

Not freely interchangeable, because they carry an up-down restriction, and the wrong one is rude. 「お疲れ様（です／でした）」 = good work (works for anyone up or down, most general): usable to superiors, colleagues, subordinates with no up-down restriction — the safest, most common workplace thanking/greeting. Whether the other ranks higher, equal, or lower, 「お疲れ様」 is never wrong: 部長お疲れ様です (to a superior ○), 同僚にお疲れ様 (to a colleague ○), 部下にお疲れ様 (to a subordinate ○). 「ご苦労様（です／でした）」 = good work (only superior to subordinate): usable only higher-to-lower (boss to staff, senior to junior), or to thank someone serving you (delivery person, workers). Saying 「ご苦労様」 to a superior, senior, or client is rude — because it's a “superior-to-subordinate” thanks, with a condescending sense: × 部下が上司に「ご苦労様です」 (staff to boss — rude!). So the test: to a superior/unsure → always use お疲れ様 (safe); you're the higher person, thanking a lower/service person → you may use ご苦労様 (お疲れ様 also fine). The safest approach: to anyone, use 「お疲れ様です」 and you'll never be rude. Be careful with 「ご苦労様」 — use it only when “you clearly outrank the other.” This is a much-valued point of Japanese workplace etiquette; misusing 「ご苦労様」 to a superior gives a very rude, clueless impression.

Q: When do I use 「お疲れ様です」 vs 「お疲れ様でした」?

The difference is whether the matter is ‘ongoing' or ‘already done' (present vs past). 「お疲れ様です」 (present) is for: greetings, mid-work, passing encounters:

• entering the office in the morning, seeing a colleague: 「お疲れ様です」 (a workplace “hello”)
• passing a colleague in the hall: 「お疲れ様です」
• calling a company colleague, as an opener: 「お疲れ様です、〇〇です」

It's used in the moment, while things are ongoing — almost an all-purpose greeting. 「お疲れ様でした」 (past) is for: after something is done:

• parting when leaving: 「お疲れ様でした」 (= good work, see you tomorrow)
• when a meeting/event/task is complete: 「本日はお疲れ様でした」
• a project ending, to the team: 「皆さん、お疲れ様でした」

It's used after something has wrapped up/ended, thanking the just-finished effort. Mnemonic: still ongoing, greeting → お疲れ様です (present); already done, parting/wrapping up → お疲れ様でした (past). E.g. meeting in the morning say 「お疲れ様です」, leaving in the evening say 「お疲れ様でした.」 Also, among very close cohort/friends, it can shorten to 「お疲れ」「お疲れー」 (casual colloquial), but to superiors or in formal settings, always use the full 「お疲れ様です／でした」 to be polite.

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. 「部長、___。お先に失礼します。」(Manager, thank you for your hard work. I'll be leaving first) 最も適切なのは？

(A) お疲れ様です　(B) ご苦労様です　(C) ご苦労さま　(D) お疲れ

Q2. 「ご苦労様」を使ってよい相手はどれか？

(A) 部下・自分より下位の人　(B) 上司　(C) 取引先の社長　(D) お客様

Q3. 「部長、ご苦労様です」という言い方が問題なのはなぜか？

(A) 「ご苦労様」is used by superiors toward subordinates, so using it to a boss is rude

(B) 「ご苦労様」sounds too intimate

(C) 「ご苦労様」is a misspelling

(D) Actually there's no problem at all

Q4. 上司・同僚・部下の全員に使える、最も安全な慰勞語はどれか？

(A) お疲れ様です　(B) ご苦労様です　(C) ご苦労さん　(D) 苦労したね

Q5. 慰勞語の使い方として正しいものは？

(A) 社長が社員に「ご苦労様」と言う。　(B) 新入社員が社長に「ご苦労様です」と言う。

(C) 部下が上司に「ご苦労様でした」と言う。　(D) 学生が先生に「ご苦労様」と言う。

Answer Explanations

1. (A) お疲れ様です ── to a superior you must use 「お疲れ様です」, and cannot use 「ご苦労様」.

2. (A) 部下・自分より下位の人 ── 「ご苦労様」 can only be used toward those of lower position.

3. (A) ── 「ご苦労様」 is a superior→subordinate expression; using it toward a superior is severely rude.

4. (A) お疲れ様です ── usable toward superiors and subordinates alike — the safest, all-purpose choice.

5. (A) ── only 「社長→社員」 is a correct superior-to-subordinate case; the rest are subordinate-to-superior misuses of 「ご苦労様」.