Say Like a Local

Ways to Say "Please" in Japanese

The everyday word for "please" when making a request is お願いします (onegaishimasu). Japanese also splits "please" by function: ください for "please do X," どうぞ when offering something, and casual or formal versions depending on who you are talking to.

The most common way

onegaishimasu

Please — the general, polite way to ask for something or ask a favour

How to say it: Keep the pitch flat and the syllables even, with no stress on any one of them. The final す is whispered, so it sounds almost like "onegaishimas."

Other ways to say it

  • polite

    kudasai

    Please do ~ / please give me ~; it follows a verb or a noun and turns it into a request

    When to use it: Use it when you name the action or item you want, such as asking someone to wait or to hand you a menu.

  • offering

    douzo

    Please, go ahead / here you are — an invitation, not a request

    When to use it: Say it when you are giving something, holding a door, or inviting someone to start eating or speaking.

  • casual

    onegai

    Please, come on, do me this favour — shortened and relaxed

    When to use it: Use it with friends, family or people you are close to, never with strangers or superiors.

  • business

    yoroshiku onegaishimasu

    Please treat me well / I look forward to working with you — the set phrase for starting a relationship

    When to use it: Say it at the start of a meeting, in an introduction, or at the end of an email to a colleague or client.

  • formal

    onegai itashimasu

    Please — the humble, formal version used with customers and in official writing

    When to use it: Use it in customer service, formal emails, or any situation where extra deference is required.

  • very casual, masculine

    tanomu

    Do me this favour, come on — blunt and buddy-to-buddy

    When to use it: Use it only with close male friends or people clearly below you in a casual setting; it sounds rough anywhere else.

In a conversation

  1. A

    、。

    Sumimasen, kōhī o hitotsu onegaishimasu.

    Excuse me, one coffee, please.

  2. B

    、。。

    Hai, kashikomarimashita. Shōshō omachi kudasai.

    Certainly. Please wait a moment.

  3. A

    、。

    Dōzo, kochira ga ocha desu.

    Here you are, this is your tea.

Common mistakes

  • 水をどうぞ。 → 水をお願いします。

    どうぞ offers something to another person; it cannot be used to ask for something you want.

  • 先生、頼む。 → 先生、お願いします。

    頼む is blunt and only fits close friends, so it sounds rude to a teacher or stranger.