How to Say ‘Is it okay?’ in Japanese
いいですか
ii desu ka
[ee dess kah]
💬 Usage Tip: Use before doing something: [ここに座ってもいいですか] “May I sit here?” Casual: [いい？].
🇯🇵 In Japan: Asking permission is a key politeness habit in Japan—[いいですか] is your万能 (all-purpose) tool.
Phrase Breakdown
いい
ii
[ee]
good; OK; fine
Here it leads into asking permission/confirmation when combined with ですか (e.g., “Is it OK?”).
ここに座ってもいいですか。
May I sit here?
ですか
desu ka
(polite question ending)
です makes it polite; か turns it into a question. いいですか = “Is it OK?/May I?”
これでいいですか。
Is this okay?
Words in this phrase
です
desu
[dess]
to be (polite copula); is/are (polite)
Adds polite tone; with adjectives like いい it helps form a polite question: いいですか (“Is it OK?”).
今、出てもいいですか。
Is it OK if I leave now?
か
ka
[kah]
question particle; indicates a question
Used at the end to ask for permission/confirmation: 〜ですか = “Is it…?/May I…?”
写真を撮ってもいいですか。
May I take a photo?
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