JLPT N5 Grammar: 〜てください (te kudasai) — Polite Requests

JLPT N5 Grammar: 〜てください

Q: Can I use てください with nouns?

No. For nouns, use をください (e.g., お水をください = please give me water). てください is only for verbs.

Q: Is てください always polite?

Yes, it's polite. But in very formal situations, even more respectful forms like お〜ください or 〜ていただけますか are used.

Q: What's the casual form of てください?

Simply drop ください: 待って = Wait. (casual). Be careful — this can sound blunt with strangers.

Polite requests — “Please do ~”

JLPTジェイエルピーティー N5エヌゴ文法ぶんぽう〜てください解説かいせつ (依頼いらい)

⏱️ Study time: 5–7 minutes

〜てください (te kudasai) is the standard polite way to ask someone to do something. Attach it to the te‑form of a verb to say "please do ~". It's one of the most practical patterns in Japanese — you'll use it dozens of times every day.

🚀 JLPT N5 Warm-up Quiz

Q: How do you say “Please wait” politely?

Answer: A (待ってください). Te‑form of 待つ + ください = "please wait". B means "let's wait". C means "I am waiting". Only てください is a request.

Quick Summary

Grammar Point
〜てください

Meaning
Please do ~ (polite request)

Pattern
Te‑form + ください

Example
待まってください。まってください。Matte kudasai.
Please wait.

📝 Core Pattern

Request: Verb (te‑form) + ください

Examples: 書かいてください / 食たべてください / してください / 来きてください

Negative request: Verb (ない‑form) + でください → 食たべないでください

⚠️ ください is the polite imperative of くださる (to give me). The literal meaning is "give me the action of doing ~".

🧠 Need the te‑form first? See て形 (te‑form) →

💡 Toggle furigana, hiragana, or romaji for easier reading.

What is 〜てください?

〜てください is the standard polite request form. It attaches to the te‑form of a verb and means "please do ~". ください comes from the verb くださる, a respectful way of saying "to give". So 待ってください literally means "give me the action of waiting" — a very polite way to ask.

Used with any verb in the te‑form.
The negative version is 〜ないでください (please don't do ~).
In very casual speech, ください can be dropped: 待って = Wait. (casual).

ここに名前なまえを書かいてください。ここになまえをかいてください。Koko ni namae o kaite kudasai.
Please write your name here.

⚡ How to Form 〜てください

Verb	Te‑form	Request	Meaning
書かく (kaku)	書かいて	書かいてください	Please write
食たべる (taberu)	食たべて	食たべてください	Please eat
する (suru)	して	してください	Please do
来くる (kuru)	来きて (kite)	来きてください	Please come
待まつ (matsu)	待まって	待まってください	Please wait
飲のむ (nomu)	飲のんで	飲のんでください	Please drink

⚠️ Fake ichidan reminder: Verbs like 帰かえる and 入はいる are Group 1. Their requests are 帰かえってください and 入はいってください — not かえてください, はいてください.

Examples & Mini Dialogue

すみません、この漢字かんじの読よみ方かたを教おしえてください。すみません、このかんじのよみかたをおしえてください。Sumimasen, kono kanji no yomikata o oshiete kudasai.
Excuse me, please tell me how to read this kanji.

✅ Polite request with てください.

ちょっと待まってください。ちょっとまってください。Chotto matte kudasai.
Please wait a moment.

🗣️ Mini Dialogue
A: 明日あしたのパーティーに来きてください。あしたのぱーてぃーにきてください。Ashita no pātī ni kite kudasai.
B: はい、喜よろこんで。はい、よろこんで。Hai, yorokonde.

⚡ てください vs ないでください

Pattern	Meaning	Example
〜てください	Please do ~ (positive request)	食たべてください。 Please eat.
〜ないでください	Please don't do ~ (negative request)	食たべないでください。 Please don't eat.

Common Mistakes (and Fixes)

✕ 書かきますください (using ます form).

✓ 書かいてください (use the te‑form, not ます).

✕ 帰かえてください (wrong te‑form for 帰る).

✓ 帰かえってください (帰る is Group 1; te‑form is 帰って).

✕ ください used alone without te‑form: 本ほんください。

✓ For nouns, use をください: 本ほんをください (Please give me a book).

JLPT N5 Practice Questions

Score: 0 / 3

1. “Please write your name.” Choose the correct form.

2. “Please don't smoke here.” — which is correct?

3. What is てください in 来きてください?

🎯 JLPT N5 tip: てください is one of the most tested patterns in the listening section. You'll hear it in announcements, instructions, and daily conversation. The te‑form must be correct — a wrong te‑form makes the entire request wrong.

Test yourself with a free mock exam →

About the Instructor

Taught by Anup Sensei at Gogaku Language & Training Center in Pokhara. With real Japan experience and a focus on exam essentials, he helps students pass the JLPT with confidence.

⚡ Vocabulary Used in This Lesson

Japanese	Reading	Type	English Meaning
待まつ	まつ	Godan verb	to wait
書かく	かく	Godan verb	to write
名前なまえ	なまえ	Noun	name
教おしえる	おしえる	Ichidan verb	to teach, to tell
漢字かんじ	かんじ	Noun	kanji
読よみ方かた	よみかた	Noun	way of reading
吸すう	すう	Godan verb	to smoke

Related Grammar

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use てください with nouns?

No. For nouns, use をください (e.g., お水みずをください = please give me water). てください is only for verbs.

Is てください always polite?

Yes, it's polite. But in very formal situations (business, customer service), even more respectful forms like お〜ください or 〜ていただけますか are used. At N5, てください is perfectly fine.

What's the casual form of てください?

Simply drop ください: 待まって = Wait. (casual). Be careful — this can sound blunt with strangers.

Continue Learning

Next: ないでください — negative polite requests.

Learn ないでください →

→ Explore the JLPT N5 Grammar Hub

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