What does “kudasai” mean in Japanese?
Japanese native speakers use “kudasai” mainly in the two different ways: as a verb to mean “please give [someone] [something]”; as an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’ to its preceding verb. In this blog post, I will explain “kudasai” meaning and its usages with example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use it properly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Meaning of “kudasai” as a verb
Let me start with the definition and meaning as a verb.
- kudasai – 下さい (ください) : the command form of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or ‘to confer’ in Japanese.
Japanese native speakers often use this command form to ask someone to give something to someone else. In this regard, its usage is quite similar to that of the English phrase, “please give [someone] [something]”, I think. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.
Example #1: how to use “kudasai” as a verb
watashi ni tabemono wo kudasai – 私に食べ物を下さい (わたしにたべものをください)
Please give me food.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
- ni – に : a case particle used to say in which direction an action goes. In the example, it is used after “watashi” to say in which direction the action, ‘to give’, goes. This particle is often translated into English as “to”.
- tabemono – 食べ物 (たべもの) : a noun meaning ‘food’ in Japanese.
- wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “tabemono” to make the object word in the sentence.
This is a typical usage of “kudasai”. In this example, it is used after the noun, “tabemono”, and the case particle, “wo”, not after a verb. So, we can see that it is used as a verb, not as an auxiliary verb.
As shown in this example, it often works together with “wo”. The formed phrase, “wo kudasai”, can be used to say “please give [someone] [something]” in Japanese. It’s worth knowing, I think.
Meaning of “kudasai” as an auxiliary verb
Next, then, let me explain the definition and meaning as an auxiliary verb.
- kudasai – 下さい (ください) : an auxiliary verb used after a te-formed verb to add the meaning of ‘please’ to the preceding verb.
When “kudasai” is used after a te-formed verb, most probably it would be an auxiliary verb. Japanese native speakers often use it to make a command form softer. Let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.
Example #2: how to use “kudasai” as an auxiliary verb
motto nihongo wo benkyou shi te kudasai – もっと日本語を勉強して下さい (もっとにほんごをべんきょうしてください)
Please study Japanese more.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- motto – もっと : an adverb meaning ‘more’ or ‘further’ in Japanese.
- nihongo – 日本語 (にほんご) : a noun meaning ‘Japanese’ or ‘the Japanese language’ in Japanese.
- benkyou shi – 勉強し (べんきょうし) : one conjugation of the verb, “benkyou suru“, which means ‘to study’ or ‘to learn’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the Japanese language, this particle is used in various ways. One important role is connect a verb to an auxiliary verb. In this example, this particle is used after “benkyou shi” to make its te form, “benkyou shi te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
This is a typical usage of “kudasai”. In this example, it is used after the te-formed verb, “benkyou shi te”. So, we can see that it works as an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’ to the preceding verb. When we want to make a command form softer, this auxiliary verb is very useful.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained “kudasai” and the two different ways to use it. Let me summarize them as follows.
- kudasai – 下さい (ください) : the command form of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ or ‘to confer’ in Japanese. Japanese native speakers quite often use this to ask someone to give something to someone else. In this regard, its usage is quite similar to that of the English expression, “please give [someone] [something]”.
- kudasai – 下さい (ください) : an auxiliary verb used after a te-formed verb to add the meaning of ‘please’ to the preceding verb. When “kudasai” is used after a te-formed verb, most probably it would be an auxiliary verb and work to add the meaning of ‘please’. When we want to make a command form softer, this is very useful.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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