📞✅

How to Say ‘I called.’ in Japanese

お電話しました。

o denwa shi mashi ta

[oh den-wah shee mah-shee tah]

💬 Usage Tip: Adding お to 電話 makes your own call sound humble and polite. You'll hear the same move in お待ちします "I'll wait (for you)".

Phrase Breakdown

お

[oh]

honorific/polite prefix

A polite prefix that makes a word sound more refined or respectful.

Example

おすすめのおは、ことばを丁寧にします。

The o in osusume makes the word more polite.

電話

denwa

[den-wah]

telephone; phone

Used for phone calls or phone contact information.

Example

電話番号もお願いします。

Your phone number as well, please.

し

shi

[shee]

do (stem)

Verb stem used as part of the fixed polite request phrase.

Example

注文をお願いし、ます。

I would like to place the order, please.

まし

mashi

[mah-shee]

polite past marker (part of ました)

「まし」 is part of 「ました」, the polite past tense. It makes the question polite (common in medical settings).

Example

さっきはきましたか。

Did you vomit a moment ago?

た

[tah]

past tense ending

This ending completes the polite past tense form.

Example

空席がございました。

There were vacant seats.

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