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

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

What does "少し小さくしてもらえますか。" mean in English?

"少し小さくしてもらえますか。" means "Could you turn it down a bit?" in English. Usage tip: Full soft request: [少し] + [小さく] + [してもらえますか]. Very neighbor-friendly.

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

少し小さくしてもらえますか。

sukoshi chiisaku shi te morae masu ka

[skoo-shee chee-sah-koo shee teh moh-rah-eh mahss kah]

💬 Usage Tip: Full soft request: [少し] + [小さく] + [してもらえますか]. Very neighbor-friendly.

🇯🇵 In Japan: A “small” request + polite form is the standard approach. Many people avoid strong wording unless it’s repeated or serious.

Phrase Breakdown

少し

sukoshi

[skoo-shee]

a little; a bit

Used to soften a request ("just a little"). In noise situations, it makes your ask sound gentle and reasonable.

Example

音楽の音、少し小さくしてもらえますか。

Could you turn the music down a little?

小さく

chiisaku

[chee-sah-koo]

quietly; smaller; lower (volume)

Adverb form of 小さい. With volume, it means “turn it down / make it quieter.” Common with 音・音量・声.

Example

夜なので小さくしてもらえますか。

Since it’s night, could you turn it down?

してもらえますか

shi te morae masu ka

could you do (it) for me?

Polite request pattern: V-て + もらえますか. Asks someone to do something as a favor (softer than 命令).

Example

ここに名前を書いてもらえますか。

Could you write your name here for me?

Words in this phrase

し

shi

[shee]

do; make (part of する)

The stem of する. Here it links to て to form して (“do/make and then…”), used in requests like 小さくして.

Example

もう少し静かにしてもらえますか。

Could you be a bit quieter?

て

[teh]

-te form connector

Connects actions and creates request patterns. In してもらえますか, it sets up “have someone do (for you).”

Example

ドアを閉めてくれますか。

Could you close the door?

もらえ

morae

[moh-rah-eh]

can receive (a favor)

From もらう (to receive). もらえますか is a polite “Could I ask you to…?” framing—good for friendly neighbor requests.

Example

少し待ってもらえますか。

Could you wait a moment for me?

ます

masu

[mahss]

polite verb ending

Makes the sentence polite (です/ます style). Helpful for keeping the request friendly with neighbors.

Example

助かります。ありがとうございます。

That helps a lot. Thank you.

か

[kah]

question marker

Turns the sentence into a polite question/request. In friendly complaints, ending with か softens the tone.

Example

少し小さくしてもらえますか。

Could you turn it down a little?

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