Japanese grammar
What does お～ください mean? Japanese grammar N4
お～ください means please kindly ~.
| Level (estimated, JLPT framework) | N4 |
|---|---|
| Structure | お + Vます (drop ます) + ください ご + N (Sino-Japanese) + ください |
| Romaji | o ~ kudasai |
| Meaning | please kindly ~ |
Forming it
| Special word | 召し上がる → お召し上がりください, ご覧になる → ご覧ください |
|---|---|
| Native Japanese verb (yamato) | お + masu stem + ください (座る → お座りください) |
| Sino-Japanese verb (suru-verb) | ご + N + ください (注意する → ご注意ください) |
How to use it
Politely inviting or instructing someone of higher status or a customer to do something.
- This is the respectful version of ～てください. The listener is the one performing the action, so this pattern belongs to the RESPECTFUL branch.
- Nuance: it is still an invitation/instruction (with a bit of directiveness), not a request for a favor. That's why it suits situations where you are serving/guiding a customer — inviting them to sit, to have something, reminding them to be careful. If you want to ASK someone above you for a favor, you must use ～ていただけませんか, not お～ください.
- Extremely common in real life: signs, train announcements, restaurants, banks. You'll hear this pattern all over Japan.
- Context: employee → customer, organizer → attendee, guide → guest.
Examples
どうぞこちらにお座りください。
Please have a seat here.
足元にご注意ください。
Please watch your step.
詳しい説明は、こちらの紙をご覧ください。
For a detailed explanation, please see this sheet.
Keep in mind
- Adding どうぞ at the beginning makes it much softer and warmer: どうぞお入りください.
- Verbs with a 1-syllable masu stem (見る, 寝る) don't use this pattern — 見る uses ご覧ください instead.
- ご注意ください / ご遠慮ください are two phrases you hear every day on Japanese trains.
Common mistakes
-
Wrong先生、この作文をお直しください。
Teacher, please correct this essay for me.
Correct先生、この作文を直していただけませんか。
お～ください still carries a directive tone. When ASKING a teacher to do something that benefits you, you must phrase it with ～ていただけませんか.
-
Wrongどうぞお食べください。
Please help yourself.
Correctどうぞ召し上がってください。／お召し上がりください。
食べる has its own special respectful form 召し上がる, so it should not be forced into the お～ください pattern with 食べ.
Exam tips
- Remember お～ください (respectful, the listener does it) contrasts with お～する (humble, I do it).