How to Say ‘Please listen’ in Japanese
きいてね
kii te ne
[kee-ee teh neh]
💬 Usage Tip: [きいてね] comes from [きく], “to listen.” The [てね] ending makes it a soft request: “please listen, okay?”.
🇯🇵 In Japan: This kind of gentle request is common with children, friends, and in friendly teaching situations.
Phrase Breakdown
きい
kii
[kee-ee]
listen
From きく, this stem is used in the te-form request きいてね, meaning listen, okay?
せんせいの はなしを きいてね。
Listen to the teacher's story, okay?
て
te
[teh]
and; do and
Te-form ending used to connect or soften a request.
てを あげて こたえる。
Raise your hand and answer.
ね
ne
[neh]
okay?; please
A soft ending that makes a request sound kind and gentle.
きいてね、だいじな はなしだよ。
Please listen, it's important.
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