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Often times at the gym, when I'm on my way out, covered in sweat, one of the
staff will say `お疲{つか}れ様{さま}です` ("you've worked hard"...?).

Usually at work situations, I've often found that saying some variant of
`お疲{つか}れ` back makes sense, because we're usually in the same situation or
we're finishing at the same time.

However, in this case, they're working and I'm a customer, so I'm never quite
sure how to respond. Saying some variant of `お疲れ` back to them doesn't seem
right, as they are still working.

I feel a little weird saying `ありがとう` (thanks) or something like that, because
it seems to be acknowledging my own efforts ("why yes, I _have_ worked
hard!"), which doesn't seem quite right.

What would be the right response?
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2011-09-06T02:44:12.773
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2013-11-14T21:30:04.467
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question
word-choice
What is an appropriate response to お疲{つか}れ様{さま}です in non-work situations?
If you leave but they're still working, wouldn't "(お先に)失礼します" be appropriate?
If it's quite informal, maybe you can just say something like "ああ。それでは、また明日！"
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2011-09-06T03:07:01.090
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2011-09-06T03:07:01.090
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If you don't feel like saying something special you could just nod to him/her.
They say that to everyone and don't usually expect any answer at all.
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2011-09-06T13:45:39.737
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At the bouldering gym I go to, when people leave they say お疲れ様です to which
everyone replies お疲れ様です.
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2011-09-07T02:04:45.413
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お疲れ様です has many meanings depending on the context and your divided feelings, I
think, reflect Japanese people's own different usages. It is _simultaneously_
a greeting and an acknowledgement of having put in hard work and being in a
state of tiredness.

At **work** , お疲れ様です acknowledges each other's hard work and responding
usually suggests "it's nothing, you've also worked hard." At your **gym** ,
お疲れ様です is more literally like "You must be tired," but is essentially just a
greeting, like "How are you?" in English.

The correct response should be 「どうも」would suggest "Thank you for your
thoughtfulness," rather than "I _have_ worked hard!"
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2011-09-09T17:20:48.967
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2011-09-19T02:30:22.830
2011-09-19T02:30:22.830
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THis is a hard one to translate. Answering specifically to the case you raised
where you are the customer, it's just the business telling you that they
acknowledge that you may have been in a physically demanding situation. It's a
routine greeting. Take for instance, in a long-haul plane ride, JAL or ANA
captain might tell you, 長らくのご搭乗、お疲れさまでした。
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2021-04-20T02:38:18.927
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