〜なさい: Firm but Polite Commands in Japanese
Build it from the ます-stem
There's really only one step: drop the ます from the polite form (what's left is the ます-stem) and add なさい. The rule has no exceptions — even the two irregular verbs behave, because they're regular in their ます form:
| Verb | ます-stem | + なさい |
|---|---|---|
| 食べる (eat) | 食べます → 食べ | 食べなさい |
| 行く (go) | 行きます → 行き | 行きなさい |
| 聞く (listen) | 聞きます → 聞き | 聞きなさい |
| 待つ (wait) | 待ちます → 待ち | 待ちなさい |
| する (do) | します → し | しなさい |
| 来る (come) | 来ます → 来 | 来なさい |
If you can make the ます form, you can make なさい — just swap ます for なさい.
What the form lets you say
〜なさい gives a command that sounds caring and authoritative at once. It tells someone to do something more softly and politely than the plain imperative (食べろ, 行け), yet it clearly comes from a position of authority. Because of that "speaking down" feeling, it's aimed at people below you — a child, a student, an exam-taker — and not at superiors or strangers. For those, reach for 〜てください instead.
ヤッタン、野菜を食べなさい。
ヤッタン、やさいを たべなさい。
Yattan, eat your vegetables.
Classic parent-to-child tone.
もう遅いから、早く寝なさい。
もう おそいから、はやく ねなさい。
It's late, so go to bed early.
先生はヤッタンに「よく聞きなさい」と言いました。
せんせいは ヤッタンに「よく ききなさい」と いいました。
The teacher told Yattan, 'Listen carefully.'
Teacher to student.
To place its politeness, line it up against the two neighbouring commands:
- 食べろ / 行け (plain imperative) — blunt and forceful. It can sound rough or angry, used in shouted commands, signs, or among very close friends.
- 食べなさい / 行きなさい (なさい) — firm and clear, but with a softer, almost nurturing edge. Still spoken downward, from authority.
- 食べてください / 行ってください (〜てください) — a polite request you can use with almost anyone, including people above you.
So なさい sits in the middle: more polite than the imperative, but more authoritative (and less safe with superiors) than てください.
The conjugation traps
The form is easy to build but easy to misattach. Three things trip learners up:
- Wrong base. なさい lands on the ます-stem, never the dictionary form: 行きなさい (✓), not 行く なさい (✗).
- Wrong audience. Because it talks down, 部長、待ちなさい sounds rude to a superior. Use 待ってください there. And even with its soft tone, なさい is still a command from authority — not a neutral, all-purpose polite request.
- The clipped 〜な. In relaxed speech, なさい often shortens to just 〜な on the same ます-stem:
モチ、早く食べな。冷めちゃうよ。
モチ、はやく たべな。さめちゃうよ。
Mochi, hurry up and eat. It'll get cold.
Friendly, casual — shortened from 食べなさい.
This 〜な is friendly and warm, common in family talk. Do not confuse it with the prohibition 〜な, which attaches to a verb's dictionary form and means "don't": 食べるな = "don't eat." The command 食べな (stem + な) and the prohibition 食べるな (dictionary + な) look alike but are opposites — the part of the verb you attach to is what tells them apart.
Where it shows up
〜なさい lives in a few specific settings — home, the classroom, and especially printed instructions, where the test-maker is addressing the test-taker from clear authority:
次の問題に答えなさい。
つぎの もんだいに こたえなさい。
Answer the following question.
Standard wording in test and exam instructions.
ヤッタンの弟、手を洗ってから来なさい。
ヤッタンの おとうと、てを あらってから きなさい。
Yattan's brother, wash your hands and then come here.
問題をよく読んで、漢字で書きなさい。
もんだいを よく よんで、かんじで かきなさい。
Read the question carefully and write in kanji.
Typical exam instruction.
The short version
- ます-stem + なさい = a firm but polite command (食べなさい, しなさい, 来なさい).
- Softer than the imperative (食べろ), but still spoken downward — parents, teachers, exam instructions.
- Not for superiors; use 〜てください there.
- Casual form 〜な (食べな) is friendly — different from prohibition 〜な (食べるな = "don't").
Practice it
Form the 〜なさい command and choose when it's appropriate.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
Choose the grammar pattern that best completes the sentence.
このげろを取り除き＿＿＿！
Frequently asked questions
How do I form 〜なさい?
Take the ます-stem (drop ます from the polite form) and add なさい. 食べます → 食べなさい, 行きます → 行きなさい, します → しなさい, 来ます → 来なさい.
Is 〜なさい polite?
It's polite compared to the blunt imperative (食べろ), but it still speaks down to the listener. Use it with children, students, or in exam instructions — not with bosses or strangers. For them, use 〜てください.
What's the difference between 食べな and 食べるな?
食べな is the casual short form of 食べなさい (stem + な) and means 'eat.' 食べるな is the prohibition (dictionary form + な) and means 'don't eat.' They attach to different forms and mean opposite things.
Why does 〜なさい appear so often on tests?
Exam and worksheet instructions are written from the authority of the test-maker to the test-taker, which is exactly the relationship 〜なさい fits: 次の問題に答えなさい ('answer the next question').
Where 〜なさい fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜ます · N5 — 〜ます is the polite verb ending. Learn ます (non-past), ません (negative), ました (past), and ませんでした (past negative), how to build the stem, and when to be polite.
Don't confuse it with
- Imperative & Prohibition · N4 — The plain imperative (行け, 食べろ, しろ, 来い) gives a blunt command, and dictionary form + な (行くな) forbids one. Learn the formation, the harsh tone, and softer alternatives.
- を · N5 — を marks the direct object of a verb (パンを食べる), the path you move along (道を歩く), and the place you leave (家を出る). Learn all three uses with examples.
- 〜てください · N5 — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.
More N4 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- Conditional 〜ば — The 〜ば conditional says 'if A, then B' for general truths and natural results: 押せば開く. Learn the verb, い-adjective, and negative forms, plus 〜ば〜ほど.
- Conditional 〜なら — 〜なら is the contextual 'if': it picks up a topic or premise — 日本に行くなら京都がいい. Learn the formation, how it differs from ば・たら・と, and why the main clause can come first.
- Conditional 〜たら — 〜たら is Japanese's most flexible conditional: just add ら to the plain past. Learn the formation, the 'if/when' meaning, the discovery use, and how it beats ば/と for requests.
- 〜ても — 〜ても means 'even if' or 'even though': 雨が降っても行く. Learn the て-form base, でも after voiced verbs, the い-adj and noun patterns, and question word + ても.
- Conditional 〜と — The と conditional links A to an inevitable result B: 春になると、桜が咲く. Learn the plain-form formation, why B can't be a request, and how it differs from ば/たら/なら.
- 〜はず — はず expresses a logical expectation based on reason: 来るはずだ ('should come'). Learn how it attaches to plain forms, plus はずがない ('can't possibly') and はずだった ('was supposed to').