How to Say 'Let Me Know If You Have Any Questions' in Japanese: Polite Invitations That Fit the Situation
Learn three Japanese patterns for inviting questions—friendly, workplace-polite, and formal email—and avoid common keigo mix-ups about who is asking whom.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
In Japanese, the English idea 'let me know if you have any questions' changes shape depending on who you are talking to and where. A friendly invitation to a classmate sounds different from a polite line to a colleague, and a formal email to a client uses another pattern again. This lesson gives you three reusable sentence patterns, shows which verb actually means 'ask' and which means 'notify,' and explains how the request changes with the relationship and the medium. You will practice choosing the right pattern for the situation, not memorizing one rigid translation.
By the end, you can…
- invite questions in Japanese using friendly, workplace-polite, and formal email patterns.
- choose between 聞く (kiku, to ask) and 知らせる (shiraseru, to notify) correctly.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
何か質問があれば、聞いてください。
If you have any questions, please ask.
Nanika shitsumon ga areba, kiite kudasai.
Friendly and clear. Good for classmates, teammates, or people you know well. 聞いてください asks the listener to ask you.
何か質問があれば、聞いてくださいね。
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Nanika shitsumon ga areba, kiite kudasai ne.
The final ね softens the request and sounds warmer. Use with peers or in a supportive tone.
ご不明な点がございましたら、お知らせください。
If anything is unclear, please let me know.
Go-fumei na ten ga gozaimashitara, o-shirase kudasai.
Formal and appropriate for business email or announcements. ご不明な点 means 'unclear points'; お知らせください asks the reader to notify you.
何かご質問がございましたら、お気軽にお問い合わせください。
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.
Nanika go-shitsumon ga gozaimashitara, o-kigaru ni o-toiawase kudasai.
Polite service-style phrasing. お気軽に means 'without hesitation'; お問い合わせください is a standard contact request.
分からないことがあったら、いつでも聞いてください。
If there is anything you don't understand, ask me anytime.
Wakaranai koto ga attara, itsudemo kiite kudasai.
Casual and supportive. 分からないこと is softer than 不明な点 and fits everyday conversation.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is a conditional plus a request. For friendly speech, use 何か質問があれば、聞いてください (Nanika shitsumon ga areba, kiite kudasai). Here 質問 (shitsumon) means 'question,' あれば means 'if there is,' and 聞いてください means 'please ask.' For polite workplace or email use, switch to ご不明な点がございましたら、お知らせください (Go-fumei na ten ga gozaimashitara, o-shirase kudasai). ご不明な点 is a formal way to say 'unclear points,' ございましたら is a polite conditional, and お知らせください means 'please inform me/us.' Notice the verb change: 聞く (kiku) is 'to ask,' while 知らせる (shiraseru) is 'to notify.' Both requests address the listener: 聞く invites a question, while 知らせる asks for a notification. Their meanings can overlap in this context.
When to use it
Use 聞いてください with friends, classmates, or close teammates. It is direct but not rude. Use お知らせください in email to a colleague, a supervisor, or a group announcement when you want people to report back to you. Use お問い合わせください when you represent a business or service and want customers to contact you; it is standard in public-facing writing. If you are the junior person writing to a senior colleague, ご不明な点がございましたら、お知らせください is safe because it politely asks the reader to notify you. If you want to ask someone else for information, do not use these patterns; instead say 教えてください (oshiete kudasai), 'please tell me.'
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
今日の説明はここまでです。何か質問があれば、聞いてください。
That's all for today's explanation. If you have any questions, please ask.Kyō no setsumei wa koko made desu. Nanika shitsumon ga areba, kiite kudasai.はい、一つ質問があります。この部分をもう一度説明していただけますか。
Yes, I have one question. Could you explain this part once more?Hai, hitotsu shitsumon ga arimasu. Kono bubun o mō ichido setsumei shite itadakemasu ka.もちろんです。ご不明な点がございましたら、いつでもお知らせください。
Of course. If anything is unclear, please let me know anytime.Mochiron desu. Go-fumei na ten ga gozaimashitara, itsudemo o-shirase kudasai.ありがとうございます。あとでメールでお知らせします。
Thank you. I will let you know by email later.Arigatō gozaimasu. Ato de mēru de o-shirase shimasu.A little context goes a long way
Choose a request that fits the relationship and medium. 聞いてください is useful in friendly explanations, while ご不明な点がございましたら、お知らせください suits a formal message. Japanese also uses humble forms for the speaker’s own actions, such as お知らせします (I will let you know); お and ご are not restricted to the other person’s actions.
One thing to watch for
Saying 質問してください to mean let me know whether you have questions, without considering how direct it sounds.
Try this instead: 質問してください means please ask questions. To leave the choice open, add a condition: 何か質問があれば、聞いてください (If you have any questions, please ask). Formal お聞きください can also invite questions; it is not limited to asking a third party.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1You are leading a small team meeting and want to invite questions in a friendly but clear way. Which phrase fits best?
Show a sample answer
何か質問があれば、聞いてください。
This uses the conditional あれば and the direct request 聞いてください. It is friendly and appropriate for teammates. ご不明な点がございましたら、お知らせください would also be acceptable in a more formal meeting, but it sounds stiffer for a small team.
2You are writing a formal email to clients and want them to report anything unclear. Which verb should you use: 聞く or 知らせる?
Show a sample answer
知らせる, as in ご不明な点がございましたら、お知らせください。
知らせる means to notify, so お知らせください fits a request to report an unclear point. 聞く means to ask in this context; a polite invitation with お聞きください is also possible when you want to invite questions directly.
3A classmate says 分からないことがあったら、いつでも聞いてください。 What are they inviting you to do?
Show a sample answer
They are inviting you to ask them anytime if there is something you do not understand.
分からないことがあったら means 'if there is something you don't understand,' and いつでも聞いてください means 'ask me anytime.' The phrase is casual and supportive. A valid alternative answer could mention that 聞く here means 'to ask,' not 'to listen.'
Match the pattern to the relationship: 聞いてください for friendly invitations, お知らせください for polite requests to report back, and お問い合わせください for public-facing contact lines.
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