Onegaishimasu is the Japanese phrase to make a request

What does “onegaishimasu” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “onegaishimasu” to make requests in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this phrase as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “onegaishimasu” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “onegaishimasu”
• What does “onegaishimasu” literally mean in Japanese?
  • Example #1: how to say “the bill please” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “onegaishimasu”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “onegaishimasu”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “onegaishimasu”.

• onegaishimasu – お願いします (おねがいします) : a phrase meaning ‘please’, ‘please take care of something’, ‘please take care of someone’, or such in Japanese.

This is a Japanese phrase which we can conveniently use to make requests, but its meaning can vary greatly depending on the context and situation.

Japanese native speakers really love indirect expressions. They live in the society where direct expressions can be considered rude. This means, they often avoid referring to themselves, listeners, and objects. “Onegaishimasu” is often used in formal situations where people need to be polite. In other words, this phrase often works alone, without the subject word and the object word. So, we need to assume from the context and situation what the speaker really wants to mean and request with this phrase. It is often translated into English as, for example, ‘please take care of me’, ‘please give it to me’, or just ‘please’.

To understand this phrase more clearly, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.

What does “onegaishimasu” literally mean in Japanese?

“Onegaishimasu” consists of the following two components:

• onegai shi – お願いし (おねがいし) : one conjugation of the verb, “onegai suru”, which politely means ‘to request’, ‘to wish’, ‘to ask’, or ‘to beg’ in Japanese. It has been conjugated for the better connection with “masu”.
• masu – ます : an auxiliary verb used after a verb to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese masu form. In the phrase, this is used after “onegai shi” to make it sound polite.

From these two components, we can understand that “onegaishimasu” is literally the masu form of “onegai suru” and politely means ‘to request’, ‘to wish’, ‘to ask’, or ‘to beg’ in Japanese. This means, Japanese native speakers make requests by literally and politely saying “I request”.

When we meet new Japanese phrases, we should check their grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, components tell us a lot about the meanings of the phrases they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “onegaishimasu” through the detailed check above.

So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “onegaishimasu” in detail together with its grammatical components. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “the bill please” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• sumimasen – すみません : a phrase meaning ‘excuse me’ or such in Japanese.
• okaikei – お会計 (おかいけい) : a noun meaning ‘bill’ or ‘check’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “okaikei” to make the object in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “onegaishimasu”. In this example, it works as a part of the commonly-used phrase, “okaikei wo onegaishimasu”, which means ‘the bill please’ in Japanese.

Example #2: another usage of “onegaishimasu”

Below are the new words used in the example sentences.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
• namae – 名前 (なまえ) : a noun meaning ‘name’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “watashi no namae” to make the subject in the first sentence.
• ichigo – いちご : a noun meaning ‘strawberry’ in Japanese. This can also be used as a name.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “ichigo” to make it sound polite.
• yoroshiku – よろしく : a phrase meaning ‘to be kind to me’, ‘to take care of me’, or such in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “onegaishimasu”. In this example, it works together with another phrase, “yoroshiku”, as a part of the self-introduction to mean ‘please take care of me’ in Japanese. Native speakers sometimes use this combination to make requests in a more polite way. It’s worth knowing.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “onegaishimasu” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• onegaishimasu – お願いします (おねがいします) : a phrase meaning ‘please’, ‘please take care of something’, ‘please take care of someone’, or such in Japanese. This phrase is literally the masu form of the verb, “onegai suru”, and politely means ‘to request’, ‘to wish’, ‘to ask’, or ‘to beg’ in Japanese. This means, Japanese native speakers make requests by literally and politely saying “I request”.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.