Polite to Colleague
Workplace · Socializing
プロジェクトの成功、おめでとうございます。本当によく頑張りましたね。 — Congratulations on the project's success. You really did work so hard. (Workplace · Socializing, Polite to Colleague, JLPT N4)
You
プロジェクトの成功、おめでとうございます。本当によく頑張りましたね。
プロジェクトのせいこう、おめでとうございます。ほんとうによくがんばりましたね。
Congratulations on the project's success. You really did work so hard.
Romaji: Purojekuto no seikou, omedetou gozaimasu. Hontou ni yoku gambari mashita ne. / Reply Romaji: Arigatou gozaimasu. Minna no okage desu.
Reply
ありがとうございます。みんなのおかげです。
ありがとうございます。みんなのおかげです。
Thank you. It's thanks to everyone.
Gesture & etiquette
A warm smile and possibly a brief applause — in Japanese offices, quiet, sincere praise is more culturally resonant than a loud celebration. Time this in a relatively private moment rather than a crowded meeting; public praise can cause some Japanese colleagues to feel spotlighted uncomfortably.
「よく頑張りましたね」acknowledges the effort as much as the result — important in Japanese culture where the process is valued alongside the outcome. The likely reply 「みんなのおかげです」(it's thanks to everyone) reflects Japanese group-oriented humility — accept it with: 「あなたのリードのおかげですよ」(It's thanks to your leadership).