Learn Japanese effortlessly! You know that you attract more bees with honey. That is, you will get what you want by being courteous to people. Just think about the last time you flew on a plane. The attendant did not instruct him to fasten his seat belt. Instead, I bet he said, “Please fasten your seat belt.” This lower intermediate Japanese article shows you how to make very polite requests in Japanese. You will master the many ways the Japanese phrase o~kudasai can be used to politely ask for what you want. Being polite in Japanese is extremely important, so learn to ask for anything nicely here.

Vocabulary: In this article, you will learn the following words and phrases:

miguigawa – “(the right side”

kinchoo-suru – “feel nervous”

hikouki – “airplane”

compartment – “flight”

yotei – “plans, arrangements, schedules”

keitaidenwa – “cell phone, mobile phone”

dengen – “ignition switch” (electronics)

zaseki – “seats”

tsuuro – “corridor, passage”

kyakushitsujoomuin – “a flight attendant, a cabin attendant”

ririku suru – “take off”

Grammar: In this article, you will learn the following words and phrases: Today’s grammar point is “or ~kudasai.” This phrase expresses a very polite request. The three examples below are very polite requests to passengers from a flight attendant.

1. Example 1 from today: Shiito beruto or o-shime kudasai. “Please fasten your seat belts.”
2. Example 2 from today: Keitaidenwa no dengen mo o-kiri kudasai. “Please turn off your cell phone too.”
3. Today’s example 3: Furaito or go-yukkuri or-tanoshimi kudasai. “We hope you have a pleasant flight.” (literally, “Enjoy your flight”).

Training

o + V stalk masu + kudasai

Examples:

1. O-kutsurogi kudasai. “Please make yourself comfortable.”
2. O-kuchi ni awanai kamo shiremasen ga, Doozo o-tabe kudasai. “I’m not sure if you’ll like it, but please try it.”
3. Kondo no paatii wa, o-tomodachi mo zehi o-sasoi kudasai. “Please make sure to invite your friends to the next party.”
4. Iranai monkey or o-uri kudasai. Nan demo kaitorimasu. “Please sell any items you don’t need to us. We’ll buy anything.”