How to Say ‘To tell; to teach’ in Japanese
教える
oshieru
[oh-shee-eh-roo]
💬 Usage Tip: [教える] can mean both "teach" and "tell," so the object decides the sense. With [理由], it means "tell": [理由を教えてください] = "Please tell me the reason."
Phrase Breakdown
教える
oshieru
[oh-shee-eh-roo]
to tell; to inform; to teach
Means “to tell/teach.” In absence calls, it often appears with reasons/details: 理由を教える “tell the reason.”
欠席の理由を教える必要があります。
You need to tell the reason for the absence.
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