How to Say ‘Please wait’ in Japanese
お待ちください
o machi kudasai
[oh mah-chee koo-dah-sigh]
💬 Usage Tip: [待つ] means "to wait." Adding [お] makes it polite, and [ください] means "please do." Very standard service Japanese.
🇯🇵 In Japan: You will hear this in many public places in Japan. It sounds formal but not unfriendly.
Phrase Breakdown
お
o
[oh]
honorific prefix
Polite prefix used to make expressions more respectful.
お待ちください。
Please wait.
待ち
machi
[mah-chee]
waiting
Noun/stem from 待つ, used in polite requests to wait.
ここでお待ちください。
Please wait here.
ください
kudasai
[koo-dah-sigh]
please
Polite request form asking someone to do something.
少しお待ちください。
Please wait a moment.
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