Requests and commands
Please, please don't, and orders.
Japanese has many ways to ask someone to do something, from blunt to very polite, and most are built on the て form. As a learner, use てください, or a question such as てくれませんか.
Please: てください
- Mō ichido itte kudasai.Please say that again.
- Koko ni namae o kaite kudasai.Please write your name here.
To ask for a thing, use を + ください: 水をください "Some water, please."
- Kōhī o hitotsu kudasai.One coffee, please.
Please don't: ないでください
The ない form + でください asks someone not to do something.
- Koko de shashin o toranaide kudasai.Please don't take photos here.
- Shinpai shinaide kudasai.Please don't worry.
From casual to polite
Asking with a question is softer than telling. From most casual to most polite:
| Request | Style |
|---|---|
| 書いて。 | Casual, to friends and family |
| 書いてくれる？ | Casual but softer: will you write it for me? |
| 書いてください。 | Polite: please write it |
| 書いてくれませんか。 | More polite: won't you write it for me? |
| 書いてもらえますか。 | More polite: could I have you write it? |
| 書いていただけませんか。 | Very polite |
なさい
The stem + なさい is a firm instruction from someone in charge: parents to children, teachers to students, and the instructions on a test.
- Hayaku nenasai.Go to bed now.
The plain imperative
| Group | How to make it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Godan | Change the final u sound to e | 書く → 書け, 行く → 行け, 待つ → 待て |
| Ichidan | Drop る, add ろ | 食べる → 食べろ, 見る → 見ろ |
| Irregular | する → しろ, 来る → 来い (こい) |
The dictionary form + な is a blunt "don't": 行くな "Don't go", 触るな "Don't touch".
Cards from this guide
10 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Verbs cards.
What do you add to a verb's て form to make a polite request, as in 'please write'?
ください: 書いてください.
How do you ask for a thing, like 'water, please'?
The thing + をください: 水をください.
How do you say 'please don't' do something, as in 'please don't worry'?
The ない form + でください: 心配しないでください.
書いてください or 書いてくれませんか: which is the more polite request?
書いてくれませんか
How do you make a very polite request with the て form, as when asking a superior a favor?
Add いただけませんか: 書いていただけませんか.
How do you casually ask a friend or family member to do something?
Use the bare て form, like 待って (wait).
What does the stem + なさい express, as in 寝なさい (go to bed)?
A firm instruction from someone in charge.
What's the plain imperative of 頑張る (do your best)?
頑張れ (go for it)
What's the plain imperative of 起きる (get up)?
起きろ
What does the dictionary form + な mean, as in 触るな?
A blunt 'don't': 'Don't touch'.