Make polite and casual requests in Japanese
Learn how one request changes from casual to polite Japanese by adjusting verb forms, sentence endings, and softeners for friends, colleagues, and strangers.
By LiamCulture & nuance · Yapr Learn
In Japanese, the same favor can be requested in several ways, and the main change is not the vocabulary but the register: casual forms with close friends, polite forms with acquaintances and strangers. This lesson takes one request, asking someone to wait a moment, and shows how it shifts across relationships. You will learn to choose between 待って (matte), 待ってください (matte kudasai), and more formal alternatives, and you will add softeners such as ちょっと (chotto) and すみません (sumimasen) that make a request sound natural rather than abrupt.
By the end, you can…
- ask a close friend to wait using casual Japanese.
- make the same request politely to a stranger or colleague.
- choose between て-form, てください, and more formal request patterns.
- add softeners like ちょっと and すみません to sound natural.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
ちょっと待って。
Wait a moment.
chotto matte
Casual request to a close friend or family member. The falling intonation keeps it friendly.
ちょっと待ってください。
Please wait a moment.
chotto matte kudasai
Polite request to a colleague, acquaintance, or someone you have just met.
少々お待ちください。
Please wait a moment.
shōshō omachi kudasai
Formal request used in customer service, announcements, or with a superior in a business setting.
すみません、ちょっと待ってもらえますか。
Excuse me, could you wait a moment?
sumimasen, chotto matte moraemasu ka
Polite request that asks whether the listener can do the favor; useful with strangers and coworkers.
待ってくれる？
Can you wait?
matte kureru?
Casual but softer than a direct command; common between friends and close peers.
お待ちいただけますか。
Could you please wait?
omachi itadakemasu ka
Very polite request, often used in formal business situations or with customers.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core request is the verb 待つ (matsu, to wait). Its て-form 待って (matte) is the base for requests. Adding ください (kudasai) makes it polite: 待ってください (matte kudasai). Adding くれる (kureru) asks a favor casually: 待ってくれる？ (matte kureru?). For more formal situations, use the honorific prefix お (o) with the masu-stem: お待ちください (omachi kudasai), and for extra politeness お待ちいただけますか (omachi itadakemasu ka). The verb stem stays the same; the ending and prefix carry the register.
When to use it
Use 待って (matte) with close friends, partners, or family when the situation is relaxed. Use 待ってください (matte kudasai) with coworkers, acquaintances, or service staff when you want to be polite but not stiff. Use 少々お待ちください (shōshō omachi kudasai) or お待ちいただけますか (omachi itadakemasu ka) in business settings, with customers, or when speaking to someone of higher status. Adding すみません (sumimasen) before the request softens it in public, and ちょっと (chotto) signals that the wait is short.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
ねえ、ちょっと待って。
Hey, wait a moment.nē, chotto matteうん、いいよ。
Sure, okay.un, ii yoすみません、ちょっと待ってもらえますか。
Excuse me, could you wait a moment?sumimasen, chotto matte moraemasu kaはい、大丈夫ですよ。
Yes, that's fine.hai, daijōbu desu yo少々お待ちください。担当者が参ります。
Please wait a moment. The person in charge will come.shōshō omachi kudasai. tantōsha ga mairimasuわかりました。お願いします。
Understood. Thank you.wakarimashita. onegaishimasuA little context goes a long way
Register in Japanese is not only about politeness levels; it also depends on the situation, the listener's role, and whether you are speaking in public or privately. A form that sounds casual between friends can sound out of place in a business email, and a very formal form can sound distant in a close relationship. Pay attention to how native speakers adjust their endings and add softeners like すみません and ちょっと to keep requests smooth.
One thing to watch for
Using 待ってください (matte kudasai) with a close friend in a relaxed situation because it is the first polite form you learned.
Try this instead: With close friends, 待って (matte) or 待ってくれる？ (matte kureru?) usually sounds more natural. 待ってください is not wrong, but it can feel distant or overly formal in a casual conversation. Choose the form that matches your relationship and the setting.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1You need a coworker you do not know well to wait a moment. Which request is most appropriate?
Show a sample answer
すみません、ちょっと待ってもらえますか。 (sumimasen, chotto matte moraemasu ka)
This polite request uses すみません to open, ちょっと to soften, and 待ってもらえますか to ask if the person can wait. 待ってください is also acceptable, but もらえますか sounds slightly more considerate because it asks about the other person's ability.
2Your close friend is walking ahead. You want them to wait. What would you say?
Show a sample answer
ちょっと待って。 (chotto matte)
The casual て-form with ちょっと is natural between close friends. 待ってくれる？ (matte kureru?) is also fine and adds a friendly asking tone.
3You are speaking to a customer at a hotel front desk. Which request fits best?
Show a sample answer
少々お待ちください。 (shōshō omachi kudasai)
This formal expression is standard in customer service. お待ちいただけますか (omachi itadakemasu ka) is also appropriate and even more polite, depending on the hotel's style.
The same request changes with register: use 待って with close friends, 待ってください with acquaintances, and 少々お待ちください or お待ちいただけますか in formal settings. Add すみません and ちょっと to keep requests natural and considerate.
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