How do you say "Please wait a moment." in Japanese?

"Please wait a moment." in Japanese is "少々お待ちください。". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘Please wait a moment.’ in Japanese

Q: What does "少々お待ちください。" mean in English?

"少々お待ちください。" means "Please wait a moment." in English. Usage tip: This fixed phrase is very common in restaurants. Memorize it as one chunk you will hear again and again.

少々お待ちください。

shoushou o machi kudasai

[shoh-shoh oh mah-chee koo-dah-sigh]

💬 Usage Tip: This fixed phrase is very common in restaurants. Memorize it as one chunk you will hear again and again.

🇯🇵 In Japan: When staff say [少々お待ちください], it usually means things are moving along normally. In Japan, small polite updates like this are part of good service.

Phrase Breakdown

少々

shoushou

[shoh-shoh]

a moment; a little

A standard polite word staff use before asking someone to wait.

Example

少々お時間をください。

Please give me a moment of your time.

お待ちください

o machi kudasai

please wait

A polite request asking someone to wait; お adds politeness.

Example

ここでお待ちください。

Please wait here.

Words in this phrase

お

[oh]

honorific prefix

Makes the request more polite and appropriate for customer service.

Example

お待ちくださいは店でよく使います。

Omachi kudasai is often used in shops.

待ち

machi

[mah-chee]

wait

Refers to waiting and appears in the polite expression 'please wait.'

Example

少し待ちください、すぐに参ります。

Please wait a little; I will be right there.

ください

kudasai

[koo-dah-sigh]

please do

Polite request ending used by staff with customers.

Example

ここでくださいではなく、待ってくださいと言います。

You say 'please wait,' not just 'here please.'

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