お～ください

お～ください means please do; respectful request. It is a JLPT N4 Japanese grammar pattern used to make polite, respectful requests in natural Japanese.

This grammar point often appears in customer service, formal notices, polite conversation, and JLPT N4 listening and reading questions. If you want to make a respectful request that sounds natural in formal Japanese, お～ください is an essential pattern to learn after the N5 basics.

What does お～ください mean?

Use お～ください when you want to make a polite, respectful request in natural Japanese.

Natural translations include:

• please do (respectfully)
• kindly do ~
• please [verb] (honorific)

The exact English translation changes with context. Focus on what the grammar point does in the sentence first: it raises the status of the action and shows deference to the listener. Then choose the English phrase that fits that context.

How to form お～ください

Attach お～ください to the masu-stem of a verb.

Formation: お + [verb masu-stem] + ください

Examples of the pattern:

• お待ちください
• お入りください
• お読みください
• お書きください

The form before the grammar point matters. You must remove the masu-ending (～ます) and attach the stem to お～ください. In JLPT questions, wrong answer choices often use the plain form or the te-form instead of the masu-stem.

When is お～ください used?

Use お～ください in situations like:

• speaking to customers, clients, or guests
• making announcements in public or over a broadcast
• writing formal instructions or signs
• any context where a higher level of politeness is expected

Tone and register:

• polite and honorific; more formal than a simple てください
• common in service industries, business settings, ceremonies, and JLPT N4 reading and listening questions

お～ください example sentences

• 少々お待ちください。 — Please wait a moment.
• こちらにお入りください。 — Please come in here.
• この紙をお読みください。 — Please read this paper.
• お名前をお書きください。 — Please write your name.
• お気をつけください。 — Please take care.

After reading each sentence, ask what job お～ください is doing: it turns a direct request into a respectful invitation to act.

Nuance of お～ください

The key nuance is heightened politeness through the honorific prefix お～.

This matters because お～ください is not simply a longer way to say てください. It signals social distance, respect, or a service relationship. Using it with close friends or family can sound comically stiff or sarcastic, while skipping it in a formal hotel or office can sound blunt or rude.

For example:

• In context, お～ください frames the listener as someone deserving elevated language.
• Compared with てください, it carries a clear marker of deference rather than a neutral request.

お～ください vs てください

Both お～ください and てください ask someone to do something, but they differ in politeness and social context.

お～ください:

• honorific request; elevates the listener
• common in business, service, and formal writing

てください:

• standard request; neutral politeness
• common in everyday conversation between peers or when speaking downward

Quick contrast examples:

• 少々お待ちください。 (honorific — speaking to a customer or superior)
• 待ってください。 (standard — speaking to a colleague or friend)

If both translations seem possible, check the social setting. Is the speaker serving the listener? Is the request public or private? The tone often tells you which grammar point is natural.

Common mistakes with お～ください

Watch out for these mistakes:

• Attaching お～ください to the plain form or te-form instead of the masu-stem
• Confusing it with てください because the English translation looks similar, then using the wrong level of politeness for the situation
• Forgetting that お～ください is honorific and can feel unnatural in casual conversation among friends

A helpful practice method is to write one sentence with お～ください, then rewrite it with てください. If the social tone changes, you have understood the difference.

Is お～ください on the JLPT?

Yes. お～ください is standard JLPT N4 grammar.

That means learners should be able to:

• recognize it in listening and reading
• understand its honorific nuance in context
• form it correctly from the masu-stem

For test preparation, study the grammar point in full sentences. JLPT questions often test whether you can identify the correct verb stem or distinguish this pattern from plain てください.

Practice questions for お～ください

Try making your own sentences with these prompts:

• Use お～ください to ask a customer to wait.
• Write a formal sign asking visitors to write their name.
• Compare お～ください and てください in your own example and note the difference in tone.

Keep your first sentences simple. Once the structure feels natural, add objects, destinations, or time expressions to make the sentence more realistic.

Learning path for お～ください

To learn お～ください efficiently, start with masu-stem recognition, then compare it with direct request forms, and finally practice in formal scenarios.

1. First, make sure you can reliably produce the masu-stem of common verbs without looking at a chart.
2. Next, compare お～ください with てください. Choosing between them helps you feel the politeness gap.
3. Finally, write sentences where お～ください is necessary because of the social context; then check whether replacing it with てください makes the sentence too casual.

Related grammar to review next

• が必要 — expresses necessity; useful when moving from requests to obligations
• な — strong negative command; contrasts with polite request forms
• なさい — firm but polite command; closer to a directive than a humble request
• ていただけませんか — even softer and more humble than お～ください

Learn お～ください with Hane

If you want to review お～ください together with the related patterns above, Hane helps you practice Japanese in short, focused sessions.

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