How To Say ‘Please’ in Japanese To Make a Polite Request

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Even in Japanese, the magic word is still “please.” Especially when speaking with strangers or someone you don’t know well, attaching “please” in Japanese to your request is one of the basic rules of good etiquette. Fortunately, you’ll only need two Japanese phrases for the vast majority of situations—kudasai and onegai shimasu!

How to say ‘please’ in Japanese

The two most common ways to say “please” in Japanese are kudasai (ください) and onegai shimasu (お願いします), and they’re incredibly versatile. In case they don’t quite suit what you need, you have a few extra options, too.

Kudasai (Please)

The word kudasai comes from the honorific verb kudasaru (くださる), which is itself a more polite version of the standard verb kureru (くれる). Both verbs literally mean “to give” when the person receiving is the speaker. In other words, when you use kudasai to say “please,” you’re really asking someone to give you something in a polite way.

To ask someone to do something, it’s as simple as conjugating the verb you want them to do (like “write,” “speak,” or “stand”) into te-form and adding kudasai.

• Matte kudasai.（待ってください。）= Please wait.
• Yasunde kudasai.（休んでください。）= Please rest.
• Tabete kudasai.（食べてください。）= Please eat.

You can also use kudasai to make a request for an item (or multiple items, which gives you practice with Japanese counters). If that item is a noun, you’ll usually put the Japanese particle o (を) in between the noun and kudasai, but it isn’t strictly necessary.

Onegai shimasu (Please)

You may have heard onegai shimasu in the context of yoroshiku onegai shimasu (one of many ways to say “thank you” in Japanese). Onegai shimasu is a conjugation (using honorific speech, keigo) of the verb negau (願う), which means “to request” or “to desire.”

Unlike kudasai, onegai shimasu is a full sentence all on its own, and you can use it by itself to mean a more polite “please.” You can even shorten it to onegai for a more casual plea. 

However, you can also combine it with nouns (as you did with kudasai) to make polite requests. Typically, you would use onegai shimasu instead if you’re requesting something that you couldn’t get or do yourself. For example, this will come in handy when you’re at a restaurant and want to say “check, please!” in Japanese.

Tanomu (I’m begging you)

When you really, really want someone to help you out and do you a favor, tanomu (頼む) can be used to say “I’m begging you.” This is especially true in a lighthearted way (like begging your friend to give you a bite of their dessert).

• Kite kureru? Tanomu!（来てくれる？頼む！）= Won’t you come? I’m begging you!

Dōka (I beg of you)

Dōka (どうか) is a bit stiff and formal in this context, but it’s similar to getting on your knees and pleading “I beg of you.”

• Dōka, oyurushi kudasai.（どうか、お許しください。）= I beg of you, please forgive me.

How to write ‘please’ in Japanese

The two most common ways to say “please” in Japanese—kudasai and onegai shimasu—can both be written with a mix of hiragana and kanji or just with hiragana. This is true whether you’re writing by hand or typing in Japanese.

• kudasai: ください or 下さい
• onegai shimasu: おねがいします or お願いします

For kudasai, you’ll almost always write it using hiragana only (the former example). Adding the kanji elevates the nuance to be slightly more formal. For onegai shimasu, you’ll almost always use both hiragana and kanji (the latter example), as the expression itself is inherently more polite. Even so, as you learn Japanese, you’re bound to see both!