How to Say ‘Please wait a moment.’ in Japanese
少々お待ちください。
shoushou o machi kudasai
[shoh-shoh o ma-chee koo-da-sai]
💬 Usage Tip: [少々] is a very polite “a little / a moment,” so [少々お待ちください] is a standard formal service phrase.
🇯🇵 In Japan: You’ll hear this everywhere in Japan—offices, clinics, stores, phone calls. It’s basically the national soundtrack of orderly waiting.
Phrase Breakdown
少々
shoushou
[shoh-shoh]
a moment; a little
A polite word meaning a short time or a moment.
少々お待ちください。
Please wait a moment.
お
o
[o]
honorific prefix
Polite prefix added to make expressions sound more respectful.
お名前を書いてください。
Please write your name.
待ち
machi
[ma-chee]
wait
The stem of 待つ, used in polite requests like お待ちください.
ここで待ちます。
I will wait here.
ください
kudasai
[koo-da-sai]
please
Polite request ending used after te-form or set polite expressions.
少々お待ちください。
Please wait a moment.
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