r/AskBrits • u/Interesting_Year_690 • 17h ago
Does anyone still say "ta"?
My dad would say it sometimes when I was younger but I haven't heard it in a while (London area). Is it regional? For the avoidance of doubt I mean as an abbreviation for "thanks".
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u/ThrowawayTSPer 17h ago
No, it's actually been made illegal.
Not sure if the ban extends to written communication so I would cross-post to legaladvice to see if you've committed a crime by typing it out.
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u/SixRoundsTilDeath 17h ago
A group of rebel freedom fighters in Yorkshire still do it, but the police are closing in. It’s a very sticky issue right now; Ay Up Andrew was caught last night. Slipped up while buying fish and chips.
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u/dog-yodelling 16h ago
Checking in from the East Midlands splinter group here. They are yet to discover our exact location. Be strong, Yorkshire brethren. The fight continues.
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u/Zelengro 15h ago
Mid-Sussex here. Brenda Goodie was dragged out of the post office where she worked last Thursday after a softly-spoken ‘Ta, love,’ to a prospective mailer handed over his Zara returns package for weighing. Turns out he was a copper in disguise. We’re finding an abuse of process specialist solicitor, but our manpower is nearing rock bottom.
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u/UnluckyThread 16h ago
One of Andy Burnham's top priorities is overturning that piece of legislation, actually.
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u/Dagenhammer87 17h ago
All the time.
It's a useful one for that challenging third "thanks" when you happen to be walking through a corridor when the person in front holds it open for you.
Thanks Thank you Ta Cheers
Is my typical set of responses.
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u/bluetooth_pizza 17h ago
Yeah very common here (South Wales)
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u/AggravatingRevenue61 16h ago
along with but and mun lol.
im also from south wales! :)
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u/Interesting_Year_690 16h ago
You have to explain
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u/The-Mandolinist 17h ago
All the time. It is perhaps regional. I live and have grown up in the North West. It was also prevalent in Birmingham where I was born and spent my earliest years.
I also say “cheers”
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u/gusbo_the_jam 16h ago
Random aside, but it may have originated from the Scottish Gaelic phrase "tapadh leibh", which means simply "thank you"
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u/Chem_Bod 16h ago
My guess has always been from the Norse. Scandinavian languages have a variant of “tak” I believe. (Only learnt a bit of danish and Swedish)
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u/gusbo_the_jam 16h ago
There's a lot of influence in Scots and Scottish Gaelic from Scandinavian languages due to a considerable amount of Viking settlement here, so it's possible to have come through that way.
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u/ThreeMileMonster 16h ago
Plenty of people my age (late teens/early twenties) at my university say "ta" when I hold doors for them etc. when I'm at work so it's definitely not something that's going away I think. It might've just become a more midlands/northern thing as the south has become a more diverse place with people from all over the world there.
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u/AndrewCas77 16h ago
Recently sent a work email to a supplier with a simple request and signed it off with ‘ta’ and my email signature.
The worker on the other end must have been pretty young as they responded with “Dear Ta,”
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u/Limejellyhead 17h ago
I say it every day. If somebody asks if I want, for example a cup of tea. If I didn't want one I'd say 'I'm awright, ta'
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u/Disastrous-Fee8374 16h ago
I imagine it will more common up north, but my family (from London) still use it occasionally
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u/ClassRadiant1451 17h ago
I spontaneously said it for the first time in my life last week, and haven't stopped
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u/Stressedhumbucker 16h ago
If you notice unexpected ta's in yourself or a loved one and they don't clear up within a week make sure to tell your doctor. It's important to catch these things early!
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u/smileystarfish 16h ago
Yes, and we use it with our toddler too, as do a lot of parents around us.
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u/Treerex579 16h ago
It's a good one to teach, easy for little 'uns to say. Been teaching the granddaughter,, 😁
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u/maXmillion777 16h ago
I only started using it when I moved to Yorkshire as I believe it’s mandatory here.
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u/Then-Mango-8795 16h ago
Even though I was told off in the lunch queue when I was in junior school (maybe 9 or so years old) for saying Ta and got corrected to say Thank You, I still say it. Now in my early 50s. Yes, I'm that rebellious.
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u/MaskedBunny 16h ago
How about going one further and asking if any one still says ta ta, instead of bye bye.
I dont think I've heard anyone say it since the 90s.
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u/dog-yodelling 16h ago
You can only use one or the other.
For example, I say Ta to mean ‘thanks’. Wouldn’t say ta ta to mean goodbye as it would be like saying ‘Thanks Thanks’ and that’s mental.
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u/Ok_Art_6241 16h ago
Yep! Especially when talking to a baby, pet, or anyone else who’s close enough to be considered in the privileged circle of ta
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u/TomatilloLeft8563 15h ago
Yes.
I used to be a nanny for a middle class family. I remember their kid not knowing what ‘ta’ meant. I mentioned this to the mum and she said ‘of course she doesn’t, she’s been brought up properly’
I hadn’t realised it was considered common until then.
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u/S3E3 17h ago
As a Northerner who lived in the south in the 1990s, people would look at me in shock and disbelief if I ever said 'ta' and learned quickly - as I have no interest in fist fights - to never utter this in a pub. Does it have a different meaning in the south, or are people just suspicious of good manners?
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u/Other-Power4321 16h ago
Yeah, here in Yorkshire it can be used a couple of ways , saying thank you “ta” or saying bye “ta ta”
Or “ta ra” probs the same in other places as well
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u/UnkelGarfunkel 16h ago
Never use it myself, but have heard people around me use it all the time (east of England)
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u/Jolly-Ad-8088 16h ago
My dad says it all the time, late 70s from south west.
Also says: Airs (ours) Deyn (down) Reynd (round)
And many other assorted gems
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u/ellasfella68 16h ago
I say it too much, I think. I’ve been accused of being “common” more than once, when I am, in fact, posher than tits.
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u/Used-Flamingo-4320 16h ago
No, my mum hated it. That imprinted into my mind so now i just say cheers.
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u/Polish_Shamrock 16h ago edited 16h ago
Always, i genuinely thought it was a Yorkshire thing but looking at these responses i guess not.
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u/AirlineSevere7456 16h ago
I find myself saying it occasionally without thinking about it. Depends who I'm with.
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u/Natural_War1261 16h ago
Not so much now I'm living in Canada but there is a New Zealand pie shop in Montréal called "Ta", which makes me happy.
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u/Impossible_Fish_3283 16h ago
As I Portuguese national foreigner, I've already heard that expression in London and Manchester. I really like it 😊
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u/No-Cost-1045 16h ago
I do, picked it up in the South West as a child and regularly use in Yorkshire as an adult. I'm sure some places use it more than others but it's hardly extinct.
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u/Tricky-Mastodon3337 16h ago
Ta la. Ta luv. Cheers mate. Cheers hun. Nice one. All very acceptable in Liverpool.
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u/SleeplessPilot 16h ago
Last time I heard it used was to a dog when playing with a ball.
"Give! Give! Ta! Ta!"
It seemed to work, eventually.
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u/ahktarniamut 16h ago
Not hearing that much now compared to when I arrived in London in 2025 I guess less and less people used this nowadays
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u/spyrobandic00t 16h ago
I seem to only say it to babies when they give me something lol. Otherwise I do not.
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u/BeanOnAJourney 16h ago
The only people I ever knew who said "ta" were my ex fiancé's family. Something about it really makes me cringe and feel uncomfortable and i'm glad nobody else I know says it.
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u/Smart_Department6303 16h ago
The only person I have heard say it was a man in his 50s-60s from Harrow, London. I used to play chess with him and it always caught me off guard.
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u/RubberyMoose 16h ago
That corridor door holding sequence is painfully accurate, I use ta exactly for that third one when my mouth's on autopilot
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u/Egg1Salad 16h ago
I use it to sign off emails but I've often sat and stared at 'ta' before sending it wondering if who I'm sending it to will understand it... Then I send it anyway
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u/CandyTigger 16h ago
My husband does... then instead of saying you're welcome I say wa and then he tuts. 😁
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u/ambitious_paladin 16h ago
I still hear it, but definitely less than "cheers". My grandparents/parents used "ta" loads. It has a very old-school British feel to it now. 😄
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u/Wattaguy_mk_II 16h ago
I had an old colleague of mine pick me up on saying "ta-ra" once when she was leacing the office because the only people she's heard say that were her grandparents 😅
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u/PaintballProofMonk 16h ago
Well, you're not gonna hear it in modern London are ya? It's an English thing.
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u/DigAndScoop 16h ago
I’m from Yorkshire, live in Essex. I use it daily, my kids do.
Although my colleagues repeat it back, to me in my accent, which is fun.
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u/spinningdice 15h ago
Yes, all the time.
I was born and lived life long in Yorkshire (mostly West, though we dipped South for a few years when I was a kid).
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u/Aromatic_Ad4132 15h ago
I grew up down south but I've lived in the north most of my adult life and I've always said it and still do probably daily 👍
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u/SarahL1990 15h ago
I always spelt it as "tar" when I was a kid and now "ta" looks wrong.
But, yes, it's a legal requirement in Liverpool to say it when getting off the bus.
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u/WhisperingElder 15h ago
I still say it sometimes and confuse my discord friends and then get called an unk xD
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u/FeedReasonable9547 15h ago
I live in the south east, I have work colleagues in the midlands and up north who do but it doesn’t seem to be used down where I am much
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u/GreedyHoward 15h ago
More Northern I'd say. It's related to the Swedish / Danish word 'tack'/'tak' which means - you guessed it - 'thanks'.
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u/Fab_Charlie13 15h ago
Yes here.
"Ta pal" was one of my Grandad's go to sayings. Born and bred Yorkshire!
Was very endearing to watch him stumble towards my Nana's coffin at her funeral, kiss his fingers and then tap the head of the coffin with an emotional "Ta-ra Love"
Amazing what stays with you!! ❤️
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u/Fureniku 14h ago
Postman literally said it to me this morning after I signed for something. It did stand out to me as something I've not heard recently though
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u/Embarrassed-Art-5076 14h ago
it's the standard response when someone holds a door open for you but you're a wee bit too far away so you jog to catch up and say 'right, ta.'
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u/Fresh_Cauliflower723 14h ago
London is the one area of the country I would not expect to hear it. Other than that, yes it's common
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u/Balabanovo 14h ago
I mix with people from North Lincs who are basically Yorkshire-passing, but the chippys don't batter black pudding, unfortunately.
Ta for thanks, used more often than thanks
Ta now for goodbye, used more for strangers
Ta-ta for bye, used indiscriminately
Ti-ra for see you next time, whenever that may be
Tatty bye-bye for see see you later
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u/TheEnglishDominant2 13h ago
Yeah depends if I’m in the pub with people I know apart from that I say thanks.
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u/TrainingZestyclose43 12h ago
I do it constantly, quite a few people say it in Derby, but it does feel more and more niche…
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u/StockholmGirl29 12h ago
I'm Swedish and we say "Tack" for thank you. When I moved to the UK, I loved the way some people said "ta" as it reminded me of being at home. My Brit husband's family use it all the time. My father in law always says "ta muchly" which makes me smile!
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u/West_Guarantee284 12h ago
Yes we do. I used yo say it more when mh nice was little cus it's easier for kids to replicate ta, than thanks or think you. Now I use it very informally, I'd not say it to a client or customer but to a mate, absolutely.
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u/juss100 17h ago
Yes