Te Kudasai (〜てください): Polite Requests in Japanese

What is 〜てください (Te Kudasai)?

〜てください (te kudasai) means "please do [verb]". It is the standard polite way to make a request in Japanese — one of the most immediately useful patterns you will encounter, showing up in shops, classrooms, workplaces, and everyday conversation with people you've just met.

The structure could hardly be simpler:

[verb te-form] + ください

ください (kudasai) comes from くださる (kudasaru), a respectful verb meaning "to give." So at its core, 〜てください is literally "please give me the action of [verb]" — a small window into how Japanese encodes politeness through grammatical form rather than just word choice.

How to Build the Form: Te-form + ください

To use 〜てください, you first need the te-form of the verb. Here is a complete reference table of the most common verbs learners use at this stage, showing each step from dictionary form to the full request:

Quick te-form formation reminder:

• Ichidan verbs (RU-verbs): drop る, add て → 食べる → 食べて
• Godan verbs (U-verbs): final syllable changes by ending:
• む / ぬ / ぶ → んで (飲む → 飲んで)
• く → いて (書く → 書いて) — exception: 行く → 行って
• ぐ → いで (泳ぐ → 泳いで)
• す → して (話す → 話して)
• つ / る / う → って (待つ → 待って, 帰る → 帰って, 買う → 買って)
• Irregular: する → して / くる → きて

〜てください in Real Contexts

Seeing a pattern in a table is useful — recognising it in real sentences is what makes it stick. Here are five examples drawn from everyday situations:

1. In a classroom or lesson:

もう一度言ってください。 Mō ichido itte kudasai. Please say it one more time.

2. At a hotel reception or government office:

ここに名前を書いてください。 Koko ni namae o kaite kudasai. Please write your name here.

3. On a crowded train or in a queue:

少し待ってください。 Sukoshi matte kudasai. Please wait a moment.

4. At a restaurant or café:

メニューを見せてください。 Menyū o misete kudasai. Please show me the menu.

5. In a meeting or shared workspace:

静かにしてください。 Shizuka ni shite kudasai. Please be quiet.

Notice how naturally 〜てください fits everything from a casual café to a business meeting. That range is exactly what makes it the backbone of everyday Japanese requests.

Cultural note: Japanese speakers almost always soften a direct request by opening with すみません (sumimasen, "excuse me"). Saying すみません、もう一度言ってください sounds noticeably more considerate than leading with the request alone — especially when you are speaking to a stranger or someone senior to you. Add it as a reflex and your requests will land much more naturally from day one.

Want to put these phrases into a real conversation straight away? Start your Free Trial lesson over LINE and practise 〜てください with a one-on-one teacher who can give you immediate, personalised feedback.

Saying "Please Don't": 〜ないでください

The negative counterpart of 〜てください is 〜ないでください (naide kudasai): "please don't [verb]."

Form it like this:

[verb ない-form] + でください

• 食べない → 食べないでください (tabenaide kudasai) — please don't eat
• 行かない → 行かないでください (ikanaide kudasai) — please don't go
• 触らない → 触らないでください (sawaranaide kudasai) — please don't touch

You will see this pattern on signs across Japan constantly: 写真を撮らないでください (shashin o toranaide kudasai) — "Please don't take photos" — is posted at countless temples, museums, and cultural sites. Learning it now means those signs go from mysterious to immediately readable.

Formality Levels: てください, なさい, and Casual て

Knowing 〜てください is essential, but understanding when Japanese speakers use it versus other request forms will sharpen your communication considerably:

For the vast majority of situations you'll encounter as a learner — asking shop staff for help, making requests of classmates, speaking with a host family — 〜てください hits exactly the right register. As your Japanese grows and you start building richer, more expressive sentences, the guide to making comparisons in Japanese is a useful next step for expanding beyond simple requests.

Common Mistakes Learners Make

1. Using the dictionary form instead of the te-form This is the most frequent error. Learners sometimes say 食べるください (taberu kudasai) — but that is not natural Japanese. Always conjugate to the te-form first: 食べてください. The te-form is non-negotiable.

2. Confusing 〜てください with 〜なさい Both translate loosely as "please do" in English, but the social weight is very different. 〜なさい sounds like an instruction from an authority figure. Saying 食べなさい to a colleague would feel condescending; 食べてください is almost always the safer, more neutral choice in adult conversation.

3. Dropping the object particle を Learners often omit を in rushed speech: "すし たべてください" instead of "すし を たべてください." In context you will still be understood, but training yourself to include particles from the start builds far better long-term fluency.

4. Thinking 〜てください sounds rude or too direct Some learners worry that any direct request feels imposing in Japanese. In reality, 〜てください is genuinely polite — it is what teachers, doctors, and service staff use every day. Adding すみません before it makes it softer, but on its own it is never rude.

5. Applying the verb pattern to adjectives without adjustment 〜てください connects to verbs. When learners try to attach it directly to an い-adjective or a noun they often produce ungrammatical sentences. As you start linking ideas and giving reasons for requests — for example, explaining why you are asking — the guide to 〜ので, the polite "because" pattern covers the connective grammar that makes longer, more natural sentences possible.

Practice Quiz

Work through these independently before scrolling to the answers.

Part A — Change to てください form:

Part B — Translate into English:

Part C — Translate into Japanese:

Scroll down only after you have attempted every item.

Answers:

FAQ

What does てください (te kudasai) mean in Japanese?

〜てください means "please do [verb]." It combines the te-form of a verb with ください (kudasai), a polite expression derived from the respectful verb "to give." Together they form the standard, natural way to make a polite request in Japanese — suitable for almost any everyday situation.

What is the difference between てください and なさい?

Both translate roughly as "please do" in English, but they differ in register. 〜てください is neutral and polite, safe to use with strangers, colleagues, and anyone you do not know well. 〜なさい carries an authoritative tone — it is used by parents instructing young children or teachers giving firm commands. Using 〜なさい with peers or strangers can sound condescending.

Can I drop ください in casual speech?

Yes. With close friends or family, Japanese speakers regularly use the te-form alone as an informal request: 食べて (tabete, "eat up!") or 待って (matte, "wait!"). This te-drop is extremely common in natural spoken Japanese, but it would sound abrupt — and possibly rude — if addressed to a stranger or someone you have just met.

How do I form the te-form before adding ください?

For ichidan (RU) verbs, drop る and add て (食べる → 食べて). For godan (U) verbs the final syllable changes: む/ぬ/ぶ → んで; く → いて (exception: 行く → 行って); ぐ → いで; す → して; つ/る/う → って. The two irregular verbs are する → して and くる → きて. Once you have the te-form, adding ください makes the full polite request.

Continue Learning

Previous lesson: If you want to express what you want to do — rather than asking someone else to do something — revisit the guide to 〜たい, the Japanese "want to" verb form, which builds the foundation this lesson extends.

Next lesson: Now that you can politely ask someone to do something, the logical next step is learning how to say they must not — the guide to 〜てはいけない, expressing prohibition in Japanese, picks up directly from the te-form work you practised here.

This article is Lesson 55 of the Kind Japanese 100-day beginner curriculum.