Learn Hardcore Japanese: watasi ha sinyuu ya kazoku ni, itumo kansyasuru kotoba wo tutaeru you ni site imasu. - I make a habit of always expressing words of gratitude to my best friend and my family.

In this sentence, 親友や家族 suggests “people close to me, like my best friends and my family” rather than strictly limiting it to only those two categories. It sounds a bit softer and more general than と here.

Why is the particle に used after 親友や家族 (→ 親友や家族に)?

に marks the indirect object or recipient of an action.

The verb 伝える means “to convey / to communicate / to tell (something) to someone.” So the pattern is:

X に Y を伝える
= “to convey Y to X”

In this sentence:

親友や家族に = “to (my) close friends and family”
感謝する言葉を伝える = “to convey words of gratitude”

Putting it together:
親友や家族に、感謝する言葉を伝える
= “convey words of gratitude to my close friends and family.”

So に is necessary because 親友や家族 are the people to whom the words are being conveyed.

What does 感謝する言葉 literally mean, and how is 感謝する working grammatically here?

Literally:

感謝する = “to feel gratitude / to be thankful / to appreciate” (verb)
言葉 = “words”

When you have verb (dictionary form) + noun, the verb can work like a relative clause describing the noun, similar to “words that express gratitude” or “words of gratitude.”

So:

感謝する言葉
= “words that (express) gratitude”
≈ “words of thanks / words of gratitude”

Grammatically, 感謝する is modifying 言葉, just like:

勉強する時間 = “time (that I) study” / “time for studying”
働く場所 = “place where (I) work”

You could also say 感謝の言葉, which is very common and almost the same in meaning. 感謝する言葉 is still natural; it just uses the verb form instead of 感謝の.

What exactly does 〜ようにしています mean? How is it different from just 伝えています or 伝えます?

〜ようにする has the nuance of “make an effort to ~” / “try to make it a habit to ~.”

伝えます
→ simple statement: “I (will) express / (I) express.”
伝えています
→ describes a current, ongoing or habitual action: “I (am) expressing / I (routinely) express.”
伝えるようにしています
→ “I make it a point to express / I try to express (as a habit, by conscious effort).”

So 〜ようにしています adds the nuance that you consciously try or make efforts to do it regularly, not just that it happens.

In context:

感謝する言葉を伝えるようにしています。
= “I make an effort to say words of thanks” /
“I try to always express my gratitude (as a regular practice).”

Why is it して + います instead of just します after ように?

〜ようにしている is the standard pattern for “I am making a habit of ~ / I try to ~ (on an ongoing basis).”

〜ようにする (dictionary)
= to try (to do) / to make an effort (to do)
〜ようにしている (〜ようにしています in polite form)
= “I am in the state of trying/making it a habit (to do ~).”

Using 〜ようにしています instead of 〜ようにします:

〜ようにします sounds more like a one‑time decision or promise:
“I will try to ~ (from now on / this time).”
〜ようにしています describes your current ongoing practice or routine:
“I make a habit of ~ / I try to ~ (as a rule).”

So here, して + います shows that this is a continuing habit, not just a decision made at one moment.

What nuance does いつも add here, and could it be placed somewhere else in the sentence?

いつも means “always / usually / all the time” and marks that the action is habitual.

In the sentence:

いつも感謝する言葉を伝えるようにしています。
= “I always try to express words of gratitude.”

Placing:

私はいつも親友や家族に感謝する言葉を伝えるようにしています。
私は親友や家族にいつも感謝する言葉を伝えるようにしています。

Both are grammatical and natural.

Changing the position slightly shifts the focus:

私はいつも親友や家族に…
→ Emphasizes “I always (as a person/habit) [to friends and family]…”
私は親友や家族にいつも感謝する言葉を…
→ Emphasizes “to my friends and family, I always [express gratitude].”

In practice, the difference is subtle; both convey a habitual action. The version in your sentence is very natural.

What is the nuance of 親友 compared to 友達?

友達 = “friend” in general. Could be a casual friend, classmate, colleague, etc.
親友 = “close friend / best friend,” someone you are very close to, with a strong, deep relationship.

So 親友や家族 highlights your closest circle of people: your best friends and your family, rather than just any friends.

Why is it 言葉を伝える instead of just 感謝しています or 感謝を伝える?

Several similar expressions exist, each with slightly different nuance:

感謝しています。
- “I am grateful.”
- This focuses on your feeling of gratitude. It doesn’t explicitly say you express it in words.
感謝を伝える。
- “to convey (my) gratitude.”
- This focuses on conveying the emotion/attitude of gratitude.
感謝する言葉を伝える。
- “to convey words of gratitude.”
- This emphasizes the actual words/phrases you say (e.g., “Thank you so much,” “I really appreciate you”).

In your sentence, 言葉を伝える suggests that you don’t only feel grateful—you verbalize that gratitude with specific words. That’s why 言葉 is included: it highlights saying thankful things out loud.

What level of politeness is 〜ようにしています, and how would this sound in more casual speech?

〜ようにしています uses 〜ます‑form, so it is polite (standard polite/formal speech).

A more casual version would be:

感謝する言葉を伝えるようにしてる。
(dropping ます and often shortening している → してる)

You could also add んだ or んだよ for more natural spoken emphasis:

いつも感謝する言葉を伝えるようにしてるんだ。

But in normal polite writing or conversation, your original 〜ようにしています is perfect.

Is the comma （、） after 家族に necessary? Does it change the meaning?

The comma after 家族に is not grammatically required; it’s mainly for readability and rhythm.

親友や家族にいつも感謝する言葉を伝えるようにしています。
親友や家族に、いつも感謝する言葉を伝えるようにしています。

Both are correct and mean the same thing.

The comma just makes the sentence slightly easier to process by visually separating:

the recipient: 親友や家族に
from the rest of the clause: いつも感謝する言葉を伝えるようにしています

Japanese commas often guide natural pauses rather than signal strict grammatical separation.