How to Say ‘Please.’ in Japanese
をお願いします
o o negai shi masu
[oh oh neh-guy shee mahss]
💬 Usage Tip: Attach [をお願いします] to a drink or item to order it politely: [アイスコーヒーをお願いします]. This is one of the most useful restaurant patterns ever.
🇯🇵 In Japan: As a customer, [お願いします] is your best friend. It is polite, natural, and works in many situations without sounding too formal.
Phrase Breakdown
を
o
[oh]
object marker
Marks the item being requested.
注文では飲み物をのをを使います。
In orders, we use o as in 'drink o'.
お
o
[oh]
honorific prefix
A polite prefix used in the request expression お願いします.
お願いの前のおで丁寧になります。
The o before negai makes it polite.
願い
negai
[neh-guy]
request / favor
The noun meaning request; in this phrase it means please give me or I would like.
注文のときは願いしますの形をよく使います。
When ordering, we often use the form onegai shimasu.
し
shi
[shee]
do
Part of the fixed polite request phrase.
お願いしますのしはするの形です。
The shi in onegai shimasu is a form of suru.
ます
masu
[mahss]
polite verb ending
Adds politeness to the request.
お願いしますのますで丁寧な依頼になります。
The masu in onegai shimasu makes it a polite request.
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