How to Say ‘Could you tell me?’ in Japanese
教えてください。
oshie te kudasai
[oh-she-eh teh koo-dah-sigh]
💬 Usage Tip: [教えてください] literally means “please tell me.” It is polite and very useful when asking for information.
🇯🇵 In Japan: At a hotel or service counter, [教えてください] sounds friendly and appropriate. It is a safe phrase for many questions.
Phrase Breakdown
教えて
oshie te
tell me; teach me; let me know
The te-form of 教える, commonly used in requests when asking someone to tell you something.
住所を教えて。
Tell me the address.
Words in this phrase
教え
oshie
[oh-she-eh]
tell; teach
Verb stem meaning to tell or explain something.
住所を教えてください。
Please tell me the address.
て
te
[teh]
and; please do
Te-form part that combines with ください to make a request.
もう一度教えてください。
Please tell me one more time.
ください
kudasai
[koo-dah-sigh]
please
Polite request word following a te-form verb.
時間を教えてください。
Please tell me the time.
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