～てください – Making Polite Requests in Japanese [JLPT N5]

Quick Summary

• Meaning: ～てください (~te kudasai) means “please do …” and is used to make a polite request.
• How to Use: Take the verb in its V-て form and add ください (kudasai, please).

Example:

• 明日、宇宙人の写真を見てください。
• Ashita, uchuujin no shashin o mite kudasai.
• Please look at the picture of the alien tomorrow.

Overview

The pattern ～てください (~te kudasai) is one of the first and most useful polite expressions you will use in Japanese. It simply means “please do (something)”.

You use it when you want to:

• ask someone to do something politely
• give simple instructions
• make a request to a friend, teacher, shop staff, family member, and so on

In English, you might say “Please open the window” or “Please listen.” In Japanese, these become:

• まどを開けてください。
• Mado o akete kudasai.
• Please open the window.

The nuance of ～てください is:

• polite but not too formal
• polite in many everyday requests, but the tone still depends on context and relationship
• can function as a request or an instruction; softer wording may be better when extra deference is needed

You will hear it everywhere: in shops, at school, on trains, and in anime and dramas. It is a core pattern of everyday Japanese, so getting comfortable with it early will make many conversations easier to understand.

Before You Start

If polite verb forms are new to you, start with our guide to ～ます, for polite verb forms. It gives you the ます form used throughout this lesson.

Structure / Formation

The basic idea is simple: put the verb into V-て form, then add ください.

Base Patterns

• V-て + ください – please do V

Some common requests look like this:

• 見てください。
  Mite kudasai.
  Please look.
• 聞いてください。
  Kiite kudasai.
  Please listen.
• 読んでください。
  Yonde kudasai.
  Please read.

We will focus on how to make the V-て form, because once you have that, you can make almost any request.

Step 1: Get the Verb in the Right Shape

Start from the dictionary form (V-る), like:

• 見る (miru, to see) – V-る
• 聞く (kiku, to listen) – V-る
• 読む (yomu, to read) – V-る

Then change it to the V-て form. The V-て form is a basic verb shape that you will use for many grammar patterns, not only ～てください.

Here is a quick pattern table for common verb types. Don’t worry if you don’t remember all at once; you will meet these again and again.

Type	Dictionary (V-る)	V-て Form	Meaning
る-verb	食べる (taberu)	食べて (tabete)	to eat
う-verb (う, つ, る)	会う (au)	会って (atte)	to meet
う-verb (む, ぶ, ぬ)	読む (yomu)	読んで (yonde)	to read
う-verb (く)	書く (kaku)	書いて (kaite)	to write
う-verb (ぐ)	泳ぐ (oyogu)	泳いで (oyoide)	to swim
う-verb (す)	話す (hanasu)	話して (hanashite)	to speak
Irregular	する (suru)	して (shite)	to do
Irregular	来る (kuru)	来て (kite)	to come

Step 2: Add ください

Once you have the V-て form, you just attach ください (kudasai, please) directly after it:

• V-て + ください

Some examples using the verbs from the table:

• ケーキを食べてください。
  Keeki o tabete kudasai.
  Please eat the cake.
• 手紙を書いてください。
  Tegami o kaite kudasai.
  Please write a letter.
• ゆっくり話してください。
  Yukkuri hanashite kudasai.
  Please speak slowly.

Politeness and Nuance

The word ください originally comes from the verb くださる (kudasaru, to give, honorific), so it feels polite. Using ～てください shows that you are:

• respecting the other person
• asking, not ordering

It is more polite than just using V-て alone, and much softer than strong commands like V-stem + なさい.

For example, compare:

• ドアを開けて。
  Doa o akete.
  Open the door. (casual)
• ドアを開けてください。
  Doa o akete kudasai.
  Please open the door. (polite)

Quirky Sample Requests

Here are a couple of simple but memorable requests using ～てください:

• ねこに日本語を教えてください。
• Neko ni Nihongo o oshiete kudasai.
• Please teach Japanese to my cat.

• テストの前に、ダンスしてください。
• Tesuto no mae ni, dansu shite kudasai.
• Please dance before the test.

Even with silly situations like these, the grammar works exactly the same: V-て + ください for a polite “please do …”.

Common Mistakes and Contrasts

• ～てください is a polite request or instruction built from the て-form.
• It asks someone to do something; ～ないでください asks someone not to do it.

Want to compare this with ～てもいい, for permission? That guide explains how てもいい asks whether something is allowed.

Example Sentences

• まどを開けてください。月のうさぎを見たいです。
• Mado o akete kudasai. Tsuki no usagi o mitai desu.
• Please open the window. I want to see the moon rabbit.

• 先生、テストの前にジョークを言ってください。
• Sensei, tesuto no mae ni jouku o itte kudasai.
• Teacher, please tell a joke before the test.

• 朝、ロボットを起こしてください。私より早く起きます。
• Asa, robotto o okoshite kudasai. Watashi yori hayaku okimasu.
• In the morning, please wake up the robot. It wakes up earlier than me.

• 日本に来てください。一緒に空飛ぶおすしを探しましょう。
• Nihon ni kite kudasai. Issho ni sora tobu osushi o sagashimashou.
• Please come to Japan. Let’s look for flying sushi together.

• ねこさん、ちょっと待ってください。写真を撮りたいです。
• Neko-san, chotto matte kudasai. Shashin o toritai desu.
• Mr. Cat, please wait a moment. I want to take a picture.

Quick Practice

(Answers and explanations are right under this section.)

Multiple-Choice

1. Choose the best polite request: “Please drink this space coffee.”

• A. この宇宙コーヒーを飲んでください。(Kono uchuu koohii o nonde kudasai.)
• B. この宇宙コーヒーを飲みますください。(Kono uchuu koohii o nomimasu kudasai.)
• C. この宇宙コーヒーを飲んで。(Kono uchuu koohii o nonde.)
• D. この宇宙コーヒーを飲んでや。(Kono uchuu koohii o nonde ya.)

2. Choose the correct sentence using ～てください.

• A. ドアを開けとください。(Doa o aketo kudasai.)
• B. ドアを開けてください。(Doa o akete kudasai.)
• C. ドアを開けやください。(Doa o akeya kudasai.)
• D. ドアを開けでください。(Doa o akede kudasai.)

3. Choose the most natural polite classroom instruction.

• A. 本を読んでください。(Hon o yonde kudasai.)
• B. 本を読んででも。(Hon o yonde demo.)
• C. 本を読んでや。(Hon o yonde ya.)
• D. 本を読んでなど。(Hon o yonde nado.)

4. Choose the correct request with two actions: “Please sit here and listen.”

• A. ここにすわってください、聞いてください。(Koko ni suwatte kudasai, kiite kudasai.)
• B. ここにすわりとください、聞いてください。(Koko ni suwari to kudasai, kiite kudasai.)
• C. ここにすわってと聞いてください。(Koko ni suwatte to kiite kudasai.)
• D. ここにすわってや、聞いてください。(Koko ni suwatte ya, kiite kudasai.)

5. Choose the correct polite request about time: “Please come at seven o’clock.”

• A. 七時に来るください。(Shichi-ji ni kuru kudasai.)
• B. 七時に来てください。(Shichi-ji ni kite kudasai.)
• C. 七時に来ますください。(Shichi-ji ni kimasu kudasai.)
• D. 七時に来てでも。(Shichi-ji ni kite demo.)

Spot-the-Error

6. One of these requests is NOT correct. Which sentence has an error with ～てください?

• A. 先生、ゆっくり話してください。(Sensei, yukkuri hanashite kudasai.)
• B. 先生、ゆっくり話しますください。(Sensei, yukkuri hanashimasu kudasai.)
• C. 先生、もう一度言ってください。(Sensei, mou ichido itte kudasai.)

7. One of these requests is NOT natural Japanese. Which sentence has the error with ～てください?

• A. テレビを消してください。(Terebi o keshite kudasai.)
• B. テレビを消してとください。(Terebi o keshite to kudasai.)
• C. テレビをつけてください。(Terebi o tsukete kudasai.)

Translation

8. Translate into Japanese using ～てください: “Please read this manga with my grandma.”

9. Translate into Japanese using ～てください: “Robot, please open the window.”

10. Translate into Japanese using ～てください: “Please call me tomorrow.”

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Answers and Explanations

1. この宇宙コーヒーを飲んでください。(Kono uchuu koohii o nonde kudasai.) – Uses the correct V-て form 飲んで plus ください for a polite request.
2. ドアを開けてください。(Doa o akete kudasai.) – 開けて is the correct V-て form; you cannot use the ます-form before ください.
3. 本を読んでください。(Hon o yonde kudasai.) – This is the only option that correctly uses ～てください as a polite classroom instruction.
4. ここにすわってください、聞いてください。(Koko ni suwatte kudasai, kiite kudasai.) – Both verbs are in V-て form followed by ください, making two polite requests.
5. 七時に来てください。(Shichi-ji ni kite kudasai.) – 来て is the V-て form of 来る and combines naturally with ください.
6. 先生、ゆっくり話しますください。(Sensei, yukkuri hanashimasu kudasai.) – The error is using the ます-form; it must be 話してください with the V-て form.
7. テレビを消してとください。(Terebi o keshite to kudasai.) – The particle と is wrong here; polite requests use V-て + ください without と.
8. このマンガをおばあさんと読んでください。(Kono manga o obaasan to yonde kudasai.) – 読んで is the V-て form, and と marks “with my grandma.”
9. ロボット、まどを開けてください。(Robotto, mado o akete kudasai.) – Directly addresses the robot and uses 開けてください for “please open.”
10. 明日、私に電話してください。(Ashita, watashi ni denwa shite kudasai.) – 電話してください is “please call,” and 明日 and 私に show when and to whom.

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Keep going

These are useful next stops if you want to compare nearby grammar patterns:

• Still mixing up this pattern with ～ます, for polite verb forms? Read that guide to see the difference.
• Need the basics first? Start with the lesson on ～てもいい, for permission.
• Ready for the next step? Continue with ～ないでください, for polite “please don’t” requests.

For the full beginner path, browse the JLPT N5 Japanese Grammar Guide.