How to Say ‘Please tell me.’ in Japanese
教えてください。
oshie te kudasai
[oh-shee-eh teh koo-dah-sigh]
💬 Usage Tip: A very common polite request pattern is verb-[て] + [ください]. You can swap in other verbs the same way: [待ってください] "please wait," [書いてください] "please write."
Phrase Breakdown
教えて
oshie te
Please tell me / Please teach me
Te-form of 教える; used as a request when asking someone to explain or tell you something.
先生、意味を教えてください。
Teacher, please tell me the meaning.
Words in this phrase
教え
oshie
[oh-shee-eh]
teach; tell me
The stem meaning teach or tell, used in polite requests.
おしえください、ではなくおしえてください、といいます。
We say 'oshiete kudasai,' not just 'oshie kudasai.'
て
te
[teh]
and; then
The te-form ending that connects the verb to kudasai for a request.
おしえてください、のてをつかいます。
We use 'te' in 'oshiete kudasai.'
ください
kudasai
[koo-dah-sigh]
please
Used after te-form to politely ask someone to do something.
おしえてください、とていねいにたのみます。
I politely ask, 'Please tell me.'
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