〜ないでください: How to Say 'Please Don't' in Japanese
When you actually need it
You reach for 〜ないでください whenever you have to ask another person not to do something and still sound polite about it — the negative counterpart of 〜てください, which asks someone to do something. It's plain, everyday politeness rather than deep keigo, which is exactly why it turns up everywhere: on signs, from station staff, from a teacher, from anyone setting a boundary courteously.
Building the request
Take the verb's ない-form, then add でください:
| Verb | ない-form | Negative request |
|---|---|---|
| 撮る (to take) | 撮らない | 撮らないでください |
| 食べる (to eat) | 食べない | 食べないでください |
| する (to do) | しない | しないでください |
| 来る (to come) | 来ない (こない) | 来ないでください |
So the pair is simple: 〜てください (please do) ↔ 〜ないでください (please don't).
Because it can sound a touch firm — it is, after all, the language of rules and signs — you can soften a direct request to a person by lengthening the ending:
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜ないでください | standard polite negative request | 触らないでください (please don't touch) |
| 〜ないでくださいませんか | softer ('would you mind not…?') | 触らないでくださいませんか |
Going the other direction, among friends you can drop ください entirely and use the bare 〜ないで: 心配しないで ("don't worry").
In real situations
A public notice — polite but non-negotiable:
ヤッタン、ここで写真を撮らないでください。
ヤッタン、ここで しゃしんを とらないで ください。
Yattan, please don't take photos here.
Reassuring someone, with the irregular する → しない:
先生は心配しないでください。
せんせいは しんぱい しないで ください。
Teacher, please don't worry.
And holding someone off for a moment:
モチ、まだ入らないでください。
モチ、まだ はいらないで ください。
Mochi, please don't come in yet.
Getting the level right
Most slips here are about pitching the form correctly rather than being rude:
- Using the dictionary form. It's built on the ない-form: 入らないでください (✓), not 入るないでください.
- Mixing up the negative. "Please don't" is 〜ないでください, not a negative tacked onto ください (〜てくださいない ✗).
- Irregular ない-forms. する → しない, 来る → 来ない (こない). Get these right and the rest is regular.
The short version
- 〜ないでください = "please don't" — ない-form + でください.
- It's the negative partner of 〜てください ("please do").
- Softer: 〜ないでくださいませんか. Casual: drop ください (〜ないで).
Practice it
Form the correct 〜ないでください request.
＿＿＿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.
ここで写真を＿＿＿ください。
Frequently asked questions
How do I say 'please don't' in Japanese?
Use 〜ないでください: take the verb's ない-form and add でください. For example, 入らないでください ('please don't enter').
What's the difference between てください and ないでください?
〜てください asks someone to do something ('please do'); 〜ないでください asks them not to ('please don't'). They're a positive/negative pair.
Can I drop ください?
In casual speech with friends, yes — 心配しないで ('don't worry'). Keep ください in polite situations.
How do irregular verbs form this?
From their ない-form: する→しないでください, 来る(くる)→来ないでください(こ-).
Where 〜ないでください fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜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.
- The て-form · N5 — The て-form is the gateway to dozens of Japanese grammar patterns. Learn the conjugation rules for every verb group, the famous song trick, and see clear examples.
Don't confuse it with
- 〜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.
Hear it in a real conversation
See this pattern used naturally in a real-situation dialogue:
More N5 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜てはいけない — 〜てはいけない means 'must not / not allowed to.' Learn the て-form formation, the polite てはいけません, casual ちゃいけない/じゃいけない, and the だめ and ならない variants.
- いちばん — いちばん (一番) makes superlatives in Japanese: just put it before an adjective to say 'the most ~' or 'the ~est.' Learn the で / の中で scope, how to ask and answer, and the common より mix-up.
- 〜すぎる — 〜すぎる means 'too much' or 'excessively': 食べすぎる (eat too much), 高すぎる (too expensive). Learn the verb, い-adjective, and な-adjective formations, plus the irregulars よすぎる and なさすぎる.
- 〜より / 〜のほうが — より means 'than' and のほうが marks the bigger side: BよりAのほうが高い = 'A is taller than B.' Learn both frames, how to answer どちらが questions, and word order.
- 〜でしょう / 〜だろう — でしょう means 'probably' and, with a rising tone, 'right?'. Learn how it attaches to verbs, adjectives, and nouns, its casual form だろう, and why forecasts love it.
- 〜けど / 〜が — けど and が join two clauses to mean 'but' or 'although': 高いけど買う. が is more formal, けど is conversational. Learn both, plus the polite softener use (すみませんが…).