How do you say "Can I take a photo?" in Japanese?

"Can I take a photo?" in Japanese is "写真を撮ってもいいですか。". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘Can I take a photo?’ in Japanese

Q: What does "写真を撮ってもいいですか。" mean in English?

"写真を撮ってもいいですか。" means "Can I take a photo?" in English. Usage tip: [撮ってもいいですか] uses the permission pattern [〜てもいいですか]: "may I take...?" With verbs ending like [撮る], the [って] part can feel like a small pause before the rest of the phrase.

写真を撮ってもいいですか。

shashin o totsu te mo ii desu ka

[shah-sheen oh toh-tteh teh moh ee dess kah]

💬 Usage Tip: [撮ってもいいですか] uses the permission pattern [〜てもいいですか]: "may I take...?" With verbs ending like [撮る], the [って] part can feel like a small pause before the rest of the phrase.

Phrase Breakdown

写真

shashin

[shah-sheen]

photo / picture

A photograph or picture.

Example

写真を見せてください。

Please show me the photo.

を

[oh]

object marker

Particle marking the direct object.

Example

写真を撮ります。

I take a photo.

撮っ

totsu

[toh-tteh]

take

Stem of 撮る, used for taking photos.

Example

ここで撮ってください。

Please take it here.

て

[teh]

and / -te form

Part of the て-form used before もいい to ask permission.

Example

見ていいですか。

May I look?

も

[moh]

even / also

In ～てもいい, it helps create a permission expression.

Example

入ってもいいですか。

May I come in?

いい

[ee]

good / okay

Means allowed or acceptable in this permission pattern.

Example

今でいいです。

Now is fine.

です

desu

[dess]

is / am / are

Polite copula.

Example

それでいいです。

That is fine.

か

[kah]

question marker

Sentence-ending particle used to ask a question.

Example

ここですか。

Is it here?

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