How do you say "May I sit here?" in Japanese?

"May I sit here?" in Japanese is "ここに座ってもいいですか。". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘May I sit here?’ in Japanese

Q: What does "ここに座ってもいいですか。" mean in English?

"ここに座ってもいいですか。" means "May I sit here?" in English. Usage tip: [座ってもいいですか] uses the pattern [〜てもいいですか] for asking permission: "may I ...?" You can reuse it with many verbs, like [入ってもいいですか] "may I come in?"

ここに座ってもいいですか。

koko ni suwatsu te mo ii desu ka

[koh-koh nee zwah-tteh teh moh ee dess kah]

💬 Usage Tip: [座ってもいいですか] uses the pattern [〜てもいいですか] for asking permission: "may I ...?" You can reuse it with many verbs, like [入ってもいいですか] "may I come in?"

Phrase Breakdown

ここ

koko

[koh-koh]

here

Refers to this place, near the speaker.

Example

ここで待ちます。

I will wait here.

に

[nee]

at / in

Particle marking location or target.

Example

ここにあります。

It is here.

座っ

suwatsu

[zwah-tteh]

sit

Stem of 座る, meaning to sit down.

Example

ここに座ってください。

Please sit here.

て

[teh]

and / -te form

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

Example

入ってもいいです。

It is okay to enter.

も

[moh]

even / also

In ～てもいい, it helps form 'may I...?' or 'it is okay to...'

Example

見てもいいですか。

May I look?

いい

[ee]

good / okay

Means acceptable or permitted in this pattern.

Example

明日でいいです。

Tomorrow is fine.

です

desu

[dess]

is / am / are

Polite copula.

Example

ここで大丈夫です。

Here is okay.

か

[kah]

question marker

Sentence-ending particle that marks a question.

Example

いいですか。

Is that okay?

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