How do you say "Could you turn it down?" in Japanese?

"Could you turn it down?" in Japanese is "小さくしてもらえますか？". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘Could you turn it down?’ in Japanese

Q: What does "小さくしてもらえますか？" mean in English?

"小さくしてもらえますか？" means "Could you turn it down?" in English. Usage tip: [〜してもらえますか？] is a polite “Could you do ~ for me?” request. For “music,” you can add [音楽を] before it: [音楽を小さくしてもらえますか？].

小さくしてもらえますか？

chiisaku shi te morae masu ka

[chee-sah-koo shee teh moh-rah-eh mah-su kah]

💬 Usage Tip: [〜してもらえますか？] is a polite “Could you do ~ for me?” request. For “music,” you can add [音楽を] before it: [音楽を小さくしてもらえますか？].

🇯🇵 In Japan: In Japan, softening requests is important. This phrasing sounds less confrontational than a direct command like [小さくしてください].

Phrase Breakdown

小さく

chiisaku

[chee-sah-koo]

quietly; smaller (adverb form)

小さい becomes 小さく to modify a verb. In noise complaints, 小さくする means “turn it down / make it quieter.”

Example

音量を小さくしてもらえますか？

Could you turn the volume down for me?

して

shi te

do (te-form)

Te-form of する. Used to connect to requests/favors: 小さくして… = “make it quieter and …”.

Example

ここに名前を書いてください。

Please write your name here.

Words in this phrase

し

shi

[shee]

do (stem of する)

The verb stem of する. It combines with て to make the て-form: して.

Example

夜はもう少し静かにしてもらえますか？

At night, could you keep it a little quieter?

て

[teh]

-te (linking form)

て connects actions/requests. Here it makes して (do + te) to attach to もらう: してもらう = “have someone do (it) for you.”

Example

もう少し小さくしてもらえますか？

Could you make it a little quieter?

もらえますか？

morae masu ka

could you do (it) for me?

Polite request pattern: Vて + もらえますか. Softer than 命令 and common in neighbor/customer situations.

Example

見せてもらえますか？

Could you show me (it)?

Words in this phrase

もらえ

morae

[moh-rah-eh]

can receive; can have (someone do)

もらえる is the potential form of もらう (“to receive”). In requests, ～してもらえますか means “Could you do … for me?” (polite, soft).

Example

夜は静かにしてもらえますか？

Could you be quiet at night?

ます

masu

[mah-su]

polite verb ending (-masu)

ます makes the verb polite in conversation with neighbors (especially when complaining).

Example

少し小さくしてもらえますか。助かります。

Could you turn it down a bit? I’d appreciate it.

か

[kah]

question marker

か at the end of a polite sentence turns it into a question/request. Rising intonation makes it softer.

Example

夜は少し小さくしてもらえますか？

At night, could you turn it down a little?

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