〜てください: How to Make Polite Requests in Japanese
When you actually need it
〜てください is the request you'll reach for constantly: asking someone to wait, to write something, to say it again. It sits at just the right register for daily life — shops, classrooms, talking to people you don't know well — polite without being stiff. Despite the English "please," it's still a soft command, so it fits situations where you're entitled to ask: a teacher directing students, a clerk guiding a customer, you asking a stranger for a small action.
Building the request
The form rides entirely on the て-form: take the て-form of the verb and add ください. If the て-form isn't automatic yet, it's worth getting solid first, since a whole family of grammar (this one included) opens up once it is.
| Verb | て-form | Request |
|---|---|---|
| 待つ (to wait) | 待って | 待ってください (please wait) |
| 書く (to write) | 書いて | 書いてください (please write) |
| 見る (to look) | 見て | 見てください (please look) |
To ask someone not to do something, don't negate ください — negate the verb instead: use 〜ないでください (the ない-form + でください). The pair is 〜てください (please do) ↔ 〜ないでください (please don't). (More in our 〜ないでください guide.)
In real situations
Most requests are for someone to do an action — wait, write, read, say it again:
モチ、ちょっと待ってください。
モチ、ちょっと まって ください。
Mochi, please wait a moment.
ヤッタン、ここに名前を書いてください。
ヤッタン、ここに なまえを かいて ください。
Yattan, please write your name here.
先生、もう一度言ってください。
せんせい、もう いちど いって ください。
Teacher, please say it one more time.
A lifesaver in real conversations.
弟、この本を読んでください。
おとうと、この ほんを よんで ください。
Little brother, please read this book.
And when you need to ask someone to hold back, the negative 〜ないでください does the same job in reverse:
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.
モチ、心配しないでください。
モチ、しんぱい しないで ください。
Mochi, please don't worry.
Getting the level right
Because 〜てください leans toward instruction, matching it to the person in front of you is the real skill.
Softening up when plain ください feels too direct. With someone you want to defer to, or for a genuine favour, the longer forms sound gentler:
| Form | Core idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜てください | standard polite request | 待ってください (please wait) |
| 〜てくださいませんか | softer, more polite ('would you…?') | 待ってくださいませんか |
| 〜ていただけませんか | very polite/humble ('could I ask you to…?') | 待っていただけませんか |
For most daily situations 〜てください is perfectly fine; reach for the longer forms when you want to be extra courteous or you're asking a real favour (for example, the very polite 〜ていただけませんか).
Dialing down among friends. In very casual speech ください is often dropped, leaving just the て-form: ちょっと待って ("wait a sec"). Friendly, but informal — keep ください with people you don't know well.
The slips that give away the register. Watch for these three:
- Getting the て-form wrong. The whole pattern rides on the て-form, so 待ちてください (✗) should be 待ってください (✓). Drill the て-form until it's automatic.
- Using 〜てください to offer something. "Please have some coffee" (offering) is better as コーヒーをどうぞ. 〜てください asks the listener to do an action.
- Forming the negative as 〜てくださいない. The negative request is 〜ないでください, not a negative tacked onto ください.
The short version
- 〜てください = "please do" — て-form + ください.
- Negative = 〜ないでください ("please don't").
- Softer/politer: 〜てくださいませんか, 〜ていただけませんか.
- Casual: drop ください (just the て-form).
Practice it
Form the correct てください / 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.
モチ、ちょっと＿＿＿。
Frequently asked questions
How do I say 'please don't' in Japanese?
Use 〜ないでください: the ない-form of the verb + でください. For example, 入らないでください ('please don't enter').
Is 〜てください rude?
No, it's polite and standard for daily requests. It can feel a bit instructional in formal settings, where 〜てくださいませんか or 〜ていただけませんか sound softer.
Can I drop ください?
In casual speech with friends, yes — just the て-form works (ちょっと待って). Keep ください with strangers, customers, or anyone you'd speak politely to.
Does 〜てください need the て-form?
Yes — it's built on the て-form, so getting the て-form right is the key. 書いてください is correct; 書きてください is not.
Where 〜てください fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜ないでください · N5 — 〜ないでください is the polite way to ask someone not to do something ('please don't…'). Learn the formation from the ない-form, with examples and how it pairs with 〜てください.
- 〜ていただけませんか · N4 — Climb the politeness ladder for requests: 〜てくれませんか, 〜てもらえませんか, the very polite 〜ていただけませんか, 〜てくださいませんか, and honorific お＋stem＋ください.
- 〜てみてください · N5 — 〜てみる means to do something and see how it goes (try it out). Add ください for 〜てみてください — a friendly 'please give it a try.' Learn the form, conjugations, and casual 〜てみて.
- 〜ておく · N4 — 〜ておく means doing something in advance or leaving something as it is. Learn the formation from the て-form, the past 〜ておいた, 〜ておきたい, and the casual 〜とく contraction.
Don't confuse it with
- 〜ないでください · N5 — 〜ないでください is the polite way to ask someone not to do something ('please don't…'). Learn the formation from the ない-form, with examples and how it pairs with 〜てください.
- 〜ていただけませんか · N4 — Climb the politeness ladder for requests: 〜てくれませんか, 〜てもらえませんか, the very polite 〜ていただけませんか, 〜てくださいませんか, and honorific お＋stem＋ください.
Once this clicks, go on to
- 〜ていただけませんか · N4 — Climb the politeness ladder for requests: 〜てくれませんか, 〜てもらえませんか, the very polite 〜ていただけませんか, 〜てくださいませんか, and honorific お＋stem＋ください.
Hear it in a real conversation
See this pattern used naturally in a real-situation dialogue:
- Getting a Haircut at a Harajuku Salon · N4
- Handing In a Prescription at a Dispensing Pharmacy · N4
- Asking How to Transfer at Tokyo Station · N4
- Ordering at a Japanese Bakery · N5
- Ordering at a Café in Shibuya · N5
- Asking for Wi-Fi at a Café · N5
- Survival Phrases in a Japanese Classroom · N5
- Using a Coin Laundry for the First Time · N5
- Paying at a Convenience Store Register in Japan · N5
- Eating at a Conveyor-Belt Sushi Restaurant in Tokyo · N5
- Asking for Directions to Sensō-ji in Asakusa · N5
- Ordering at a Yatai Food Stall in Fukuoka · N5
- Buying Fruit at Ameyoko Market in Ueno · N5
- Shopping at a 100-Yen Shop · N5
- Buying and Charging a Suica IC Card at the Station · N5
- Riding a City Bus to Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto · N5
- Buying Movie Tickets at a Cinema in Tokyo · N5
- Buying Cold Medicine at a Japanese Drugstore · N5
- Sending a Package Abroad at a Japanese Post Office · N5
- Ordering at a Ramen Shop in Tokyo · N5
- Buying Souvenirs near Tōdai-ji in Nara · N5
- Buying a Train Ticket at Shinjuku Station · N5
- Asking Someone to Take Your Photo at the Great Buddha of Kamakura · N5
- Taking a Taxi from Tokyo Station to a Hotel · N5
More N5 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- なんて / なんか — なんか softens or gives a vague example ('something like'); なんて means 'such as / things like,' often dismissive or surprised. Learn the nuance, formation, and when to avoid them.
- 〜たり〜たり — 〜たり〜たり lists representative actions ('doing things like A and B'). Learn the formation from the た-form, the する at the end, and how it differs from plain て-form listing.
- と — The particle と joins nouns into a complete list ('A and B'), means 'with' someone, and pairs with 同じ/違う for comparisons. Learn how と differs from や.
- や — The particle や lists nouns as examples, not a full set: 本やペンがある ('books, pens, and such'). Learn how や differs from と, and how to pair it with など.
- の — の links nouns (A's B), replaces a noun ('the red one'), turns verbs into nouns (走るのが速い), and softens casual questions (どうしたの?). Learn all four uses.
- 〜なければならない — 〜なければならない means 'must' or 'have to' in Japanese. Learn the ない-form formation, the polite なりません, casual なきゃ, the なくてはいけない variant, and the opposite なくてもいい.