How to Say ‘Please wait.’ in Japanese
お待ちください。
o machi kudasai
[oh mah-chee kudasai]
💬 Usage Tip: Wrapping a verb as お + verb stem + ください makes a request extra polite, as in お座りください "please have a seat".
Phrase Breakdown
お
o
[oh]
honorific prefix
A polite prefix used in respectful service language.
おつりをください。
Please give me the change.
待ち
machi
[mah-chee]
wait
The stem of 待つ, used in polite service expressions.
少し待ちます。
I will wait a little.
ください
kudasai
[kudasai]
please (do)
Used to make a polite request.
手伝ってください。
Please help me.
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