How to Say ‘Please’ 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] is the万能 (super useful) “please.” It can politely “finish” almost any request.
🇯🇵 In Japan: You’ll hear it constantly from both customers and staff; it’s a key politeness tool in Japanese service interactions.
Phrase Breakdown
お
o
[oh]
honorable / polite prefix
お is a polite prefix that makes the request more courteous (as in お願いします).
お会計お願いします。
Check, please.
願い
negai
[neh-gah-ee]
request / favor (stem)
願い is from 願う (“to wish/request”); with お + します it forms a standard polite request phrase.
もう一度お願いできますか。
Could you do that one more time?
し
shi
[shee]
do (stem)
し is from する; in お願いします it means “I ask/request (humbly).”
お願いします。
Please.
ます
masu
[mah-soo]
polite ending
ます keeps the phrase polite; お願いします is extremely common when ordering.
氷なしでお願いします。
No ice, please.
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