How to Say ‘Waiting (polite form)’ in Japanese
おまち
o machi
[oh mah-chee]
💬 Usage Tip: [おまち] is the polite noun form related to waiting. By itself, it sounds incomplete, so you will usually hear it in longer phrases like [おまちください].
🇯🇵 In Japan: In restaurants, short polite stems like [おまち] appear inside set expressions. Learning the full phrase is more useful than using this word alone.
Phrase Breakdown
お
o
[oh]
honorific prefix
A polite prefix that makes the expression sound respectful and suitable for service situations.
おまちください。
Please wait.
まち
machi
[mah-chee]
waiting
The noun form meaning waiting, commonly used in polite service phrases.
おまちください。
Please wait.
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