How to Say ‘Please (when requesting)’ in Japanese
おねがいします
o negai shi masu
[o neh-guy shee mahs]
💬 Usage Tip: Put a thing in front to ask for it: コーヒー、おねがいします "Coffee, please." It also works on its own when handing over a ticket or a form.
Phrase Breakdown
お
o
[o]
Polite prefix
Used to add politeness.
お元気ですか？
How are you?
ねがい
negai
[neh-guy]
request; favor (hiragana form)
ねがい is “request/favor” (願い) written in hiragana. In greetings it implies “please (be kind to me).”
よろしくおねがいします。日本語を勉強しています。
Nice to meet you. I’m studying Japanese.
し
shi
[shee]
do (stem)
The stem of する, used to turn nouns like 確認 into verbs such as 'to check.'
確認しお願いします。
Please check it.
ます
masu
[mahs]
polite verb ending
A polite ending for verbs in present or non-past form.
空いています、だいじょうぶです。
It is available, so it’s okay.
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