How to Say ‘Please (polite request)’ in Japanese
お願いします
o negai shi masu
[oh neh-gah-ee shee mah-soo]
💬 Usage Tip: [お願いします] comes from [願う] “to wish/request.” It’s more like “I request your help” than a simple “please.”
🇯🇵 In Japan: In interviews, this polite request style sounds respectful without being pushy.
Phrase Breakdown
お
o
[oh]
(honorific prefix)
お adds politeness to the request phrase. Common in business Japanese.
お願いしますの最初のおをはっきり発音します。
I pronounce the initial “o” in “onegaishimasu” clearly.
願い
negai
[neh-gah-ee]
Request / favor
願い (ねがい) is the core noun meaning “request.” With お + します, it becomes a polite fixed expression.
面接の場では願いを丁寧に言います。
In an interview setting, you say the request politely.
し
shi
[shee]
Do (part of verb)
し connects to ます to form します (polite “do”). In お願いします, it means “I request/ask.”
面接の終わりにお願いしますと言ってしっかり締めます。
At the end of the interview, I wrap up firmly by saying “onegaishimasu.”
ます
masu
[mah-soo]
(polite ending)
ます makes します polite. Used in formal speech such as job interviews.
面接ではお願いしますのますを丁寧に言います。
In interviews, you say the “-masu” in “onegaishimasu” politely.
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