How to Say ‘Is it okay? / May I?’ in Japanese
いいですか
ii desu ka
[EE DEHSS KAH]
💬 Usage Tip: [いいですか] is a polite permission check. Add [すみません、] before it to sound extra natural.
🇯🇵 In Japan: Japanese often confirm permission even for small things (sitting, entering, taking a seat), so [いいですか] is a daily-life essential.
Phrase Breakdown
いい
ii
[EE]
good / okay
Means “good/okay.” In the pattern 〜てもいい (“may/can”), it shows permission; with ですか it becomes “Is it okay?”
ここに座ってもいいですか。
Is it okay if I sit here?
です
desu
[DEHSS]
to be (polite)
Polite copula used to make a sentence formal/polite. Often appears in questions like いいですか (“Is it okay?”).
今は大丈夫です。
It’s okay now.
か
ka
[KAH]
(question particle)
Turns a statement into a question. いいですか = “Is it okay?”
これでいいですか。
Is this okay?
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