In Japanese, there are two main ways to structure a polite request, you can use the direct request form, or an indirect request form.
Direct requests use 〜てください transcribed te kudasai and are used to make requests like “Please open the window.”
Indirect requests use 〜てくれませんか transcribed te kuremasen ka are technically questions, so they’re more like “Can you open the window?”
These basic structures come with variations, depending on the level of politeness and formality, and there are some rules to learn that will help you choose between them. Ready to have a look? Let’s dive in!
How to make direct requests with 〜てください [te kudasai]?
When you want to make a direct request that is still polite, you can use 〜てください transcribed te kudasai. You’ll use this structure where, in English, you would say “please do this” or “please don’t do that.”
There are two parts of the direct request structure: the te-form of a verb and the word ください meaning kudasai, meaning “please.”
Requested action
te-form
Let’s look at some examples!
| Verb group | Dictionary form | 〜てください transcribed te kudasai |
|---|---|---|
U-verb | 書く Transcription: kaku Translation: to write | 書いてください Transcription: kaite kudasai Translation: please write |
泳ぐ Transcription: oyogu Translation: to swim | 泳いでください Transcription: oyoide kudasai Translation: please swim | |
Ru-verb | 見る Transcription: miru Translation: to look | 見てください Transcription: mite kudasai Translation: please look |
Irregular | する Transcription: suru Translation: to do | してください Transcription: shite kudasai Translation: please do |
くる Transcription: kuru Translation: to come | きてください Transcription: kite kudasai Translation: please come |
When to make a request with 〜てください [te kudasai]?
Although 〜てください transcribed te kudasai is used for polite requests, it still sounds direct. It’s most acceptable to make a direct request where that kind of request is expected. For instance, a student can use it when asking a favor of their teacher.
However, in situations where it’s not common to make such a request, it might come across as slightly impolite or inappropriate. Let's look at another example:
If you want to play it safe, it’s best to use the indirect request form 〜てくれませんか transcribed te kuremasen ka, which we’ll talk about below!
〜てください transcribed te kudasai can also be used to offer something. In such cases, the phrase (もし)よかったら transcribed (moshi) yokattarameaning if you like is often used together.
How to make a negative request with ください [kudasai]?
To ask someone to “please not do something” in Japanese, you can just use negative te-form before ください transcribed kudasai. In this case, the negative te-form is formed by combining the plain negative form with で transcribed de.
Negative verb
plain form
Since most negative forms end in 〜ない transcribed nai, you’ll sometimes see this discussed as a single negative ending, 〜ないでください transcribed naide kudasai. Let’s look at some more examples!
| Dictionary form | Negative request |
|---|---|
読む Transcription: yomu Translation: to read | 読まないでください Transcription: yomanaide kudasai Translation: please don’t read |
忘れる Transcription: wasureru Translation: to forget | 忘れないでください Transcription: wasurenaide kudasai Translation: please don’t forget |
する Transcription: suru Translation: to do | しないでください Transcription: shinaide kudasai Translation: please don’t do (it) |
くる Transcription: kuru Translation: to come | こないでください Transcription: konaide kudasai Translation: please don’t come |
Like its positive equivalent, 〜ないでください transcribed naide kudasai is used to ask somebody not to do something in a direct yet polite way.
- ドアを閉めないで下さい。Transcription: Doa o shimenaide kudasai.Translation: Please don’t close the door.
- エアコンを消さないで下さい。Transcription: Eakon o kesanaide kudasai.Translation: Please don’t turn off the AC.
When to make a request with おねがいします [onegai shimasu]?
The phrase おねがいします transcribed onegai shimasu also means “please” in Japanese, and can sometimes be used to make a request. Here’s when to use it:
If you are requesting a tangible thing, as when ordering something at a restaurant, then ください transcribed kudasai and おねがいします transcribed onegai shimasu are interchangable. Just use the particle を transcribed o between the noun you’re requesting and the word for “please.”
noun (tangible thing)コーヒーをください。Transcription: Kōhī o kudasai.Translation: Coffee, please.コーヒーをおねがいします。Transcription: Kōhī o onegai shimau.Translation: Coffee, please.After a noun, you’ll sometimes even use ちょうだい transcribed chōdai, the casual version of ください transcribed kudasai. When using this, the particle を transcribed o is frequently omitted as well.
nounあめちょうだい。Transcription: Ame chōdai.Translation: Candy please.If you’re asking for an intangible thing, you’ll need to use おねがいします transcribed onegai shimasu. ください transcribed kudasai cannot be used to ask for intangible things.
noun (intangible thing)✅ 自由席、おねがいします。Transcription: Jiyūseki, onegai shimasu.Translation: Non-reserved seat, please.❌ 自由席、ください。Transcription: Jiyūseki, kudasai.A seat is intangible, so we can’t use ください!If requesting an action, you’ll need to use ください transcribed kudasai.
action✅ 食べてください。Transcription: Tabete kudasai.Translation: Please eat (it).❌ 食べておねがいします。Transcription: Tabete onegai shimasu.
What are some variations on direct requests?
Though direct requests with ください transcribed kudasai are always polite, there are some more or less formal variations that you can use. Let’s have a look!
Informal direct requests: くれ [kure] and ちょうだい [chōdai]
In informal speech, such as when asking friends or family, it is common to omit ください transcribed kudasai, as it is not necessary to be overly polite. Remember, you’ll still need to use the te-form for the requested action!
- ペン、貸して。Transcription: Pen, kashite.Translation: Lend me a pen.
- 使わないで。Transcription: Tsukawanaide.Translation: Don’t use (it).
Another way to be a little less formal is to replace ください transcribed kudasai with a less formal equivalent:
Male speakers tend to use くれ transcribed kure:
- ペン、貸してくれ。Transcription: Pen, kashite kure.Translation: Lend me a pen.
- 使わないでくれ。Transcription: Tsukawanaide kure.Translation: Don’t use (it).
Female speakers more often use ちょうだい transcribed chōdai:
- その本、取ってちょうだい。Transcription: Sono hon, totte chōdai.Translation: Pass me that book.
These two informal forms can also be considered as the plain form of 〜てください transcribed te kudasai. They are used to indirectly quote requests.
Honorific requests with ください [kudasai]
In situations where it is necessary to show more deference, like when making a direct request to a superior or customer, you’ll want to use an honorific request form. To form these kinds of requests, add お transcribed o to the beginning of the masu stem of the verb (the polite form with the ます transcribed masu ending removed), then follow that with ください transcribed kudasai.
Verb
masu stem
Note, though, that you cannot make negative honorific requests! Let’s look at some examples.
| Dictionary form | Polite form | Honorific request |
|---|---|---|
待つ Transcription: matsu Translation: to wait | 待ちます Transcription: machimasu Translation: to wait | お待ちください Transcription: omachi kudasai Translation: please wait |
休む Transcription: yasumu Translation: to rest | 休みます Transcription: yasumimasu Translation: to rest | お休みください Transcription: oyasumi kudasai Translation: please rest |
降りる Transcription: oriru Translation: to get off | 降ります Transcription: orimasu Translation: to get off | お降りください Transcription: o'ori kudasai Translation: please get off |
This honorific request form is often used for formal instructions.
- On a waitlist at a restaurant:ここにお名前をお書きください。Transcription: Koko ni onamae o okaki kudasai.Translation: Please write your name here.
- At the entrance of a shrine:靴を脱いでお入りください。Transcription: Kutsu o nuide ohairi kudasai.Translation: Please take off your shoes and enter.
It can also be used to suggest actions that would be beneficial to the listener themselves.
- At a makeup store:サンプルはご自由にお取りください。Transcription: Sanpuru wa gojiyū ni otori kudasai.Translation: Please take samples freely.
- On an airplane:困ったことがありましたら、ボタンを押してお呼びください。Transcription: Komatta koto ga arimashitara, botan o oshite oyobi kudasai.Translation: If you have any trouble, please press the button and call for assistance.
To increase politeness and create a more gentle tone, you can add ませ transcribed mase at the end of the sentence. ませ transcribed mase is the imperative form of the ending of the verb polite form ます transcribed masu. This phrase is commonly used in business settings.
- At a makeup store:サンプルはご自由にお取りくださいませ。Transcription: Sanpuru wa gojiyū ni otori kudasai mase.Translation: Please feel free to take samples.
How to make indirect requests with 〜てくれませんか [te kuremasen ka]?
In a situation where you want to be a little more polite and considerate about making a request, you can phrase your request as a question, much like you might say “can you…?” in English. To make such indirect requests in Japanese, you’ll most often use the ending 〜てくれませんか transcribed te kuremasen ka.
Requests with this ending are created using three parts:
Requested action
te-form
Taken literally, then, requests like this mean something like “won’t you do me a favor and…?” Let’s look at some examples:
You can ask someone not to do something by using the negative te-form before 〜てくれませんか transcribed te kuremasen ka. Here, the negative te-form is also formed by combining the plain negative form + で transcribed de.
What are some variations on indirect requests?
Though all indirect requests are polite, there are some ways to vary the structure to show a little more or less deference. Let’s look at a few of these patterns!
Using 〜てもらえませんか [te moraemasen ka] in indirect requests
If you want to be slightly more polite, you can replace the giving verb くれる transcribed kureru, in an indirect request, with receiving verb もらう transcribed morau. In this use, the verb もらう transcribed morau has to be in the potential form, meaning the complete form of this ending is 〜てもらえませんか transcribed te moraemasen ka.
Indirect requests with a positive question
Though the most polite way to make an indirect request is to ask a negative question (“Won’t you do me a favor and…?”) you can also use a positive question (“Will you do me a favor and…?”). When doing this, you just replace the negative verbs くれません transcribed kuremasen or もらえません transcribed moraemasen with their positive versions: くれます transcribed kuremasu or もらえます transcribed moraemasu.
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Using a plain or honorific verb
You can also increase or decrease the level of formality by using the plain or honorific form of the giving or receiving verb.
In informal situations, such as when asking your friends or family to do something, you can use the plain form of the giving or receiving verb to make a request.
Plain Forms (less formal) Negative question
手伝ってくれない？Transcription: Tetsudatte kurenai?手伝ってもらえない？Transcription: Tetsudatte moraenai?Positive question
手伝ってくれる？Transcription: Tetsudatte kureru?手伝ってもらえる？Transcription: Tetsudatte moraeru?English
Can you help me?
In a situation where you want to show some extra deference, like asking your boss or professor to do something, you can use the honorific forms of くれる transcribed kureru and もらう transcribed morau: くださる transcribed kudasaru and いただく transcribed itadaku respectively.
Honorific Forms (more deferential) Non-negative question
手伝ってくださいますか？Transcription: Tetsudatte kudasaimasu ka?手伝っていただけますか？Transcription: Tetsudatte itadakemasu ka?Negative question
手伝ってくださいませんか？Transcription: Tetsudatte kudasaimasen ka?手伝っていただけませんか？Transcription: Tetsudatte itadakemasen ka?English
Could you (please) help me?
To sum up
In this post, we’ve covered how to make requests in Japanese. Here are the most important things to remember:
Use the te-form + ください transcribed kudasai to make a request like “Please do this” or “Please don’t do that.”
Use the te-form + くれませんか transcribed kuremasen ka or the te-form + もらえませんか transcribed moraemasen ka to make a request like “Can you do this?” or “Can you not do that?”
It’s possible to make slight changes to each structure that reflect exactly how formal or deferential you want to be, when making your request.
Ready to practice what you’ve learned? Check out our Japanese request exercises and test your skills! Thank you very much for reading, and happy learning!
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