をください means please give me ~. Put a noun in front, and you have a complete polite request: 水をください (Water, please), これをください (I’ll take this one). It is one of the first JLPT N5 patterns travelers and students use, because it works in shops, cafés, ticket counters, and classrooms.
The pattern has only one moving part, the noun. The details worth learning are where to put a number, when を drops out, and how it differs from てください, which looks almost the same but asks for an action.
Noun + をください asks for a thing. For an action, you need てください.
What does をください mean?
ください is the request form of くださる, a polite verb that means “give (to me).” Attached to a noun with を, it asks the listener to hand that thing over to you.
Natural English translations depend on the setting:
- Please give me ~ (literal, classroom English)
- ~, please (ordering: “Coffee, please”)
- I’ll take ~ (shopping: “I’ll take this one”)
- Please send me ~ / please get back to me (for things like 返事, a reply)
The receiver is always you, or your group. ください never means “please give it to someone else.”
You will usually see ください in hiragana. The kanji form 下さい exists but is less common in modern writing.
How to form をください
Put the item before を, then ください.
Adding a number. Put the quantity between を and ください, with no extra particle:
- 切符を二枚ください — two tickets, please
- りんごを三つください — three apples, please
- コーヒーを一つください — one coffee, please
Dropping を. In quick spoken requests, を often disappears: これ、ください or 水、ください. Both are normal in speech. In writing and on the test, keep を.
When is をください used?
- Shopping: point at an item and say これをください.
- Ordering food and drinks: 水をください, メニューをください.
- Buying tickets: 大人二枚ください (two adult tickets).
- Asking for non-physical things: 少し時間をください (give me a little time), あとで電話をください (call me later), 返事をください (please reply).
Register: をください is polite but direct. It is fine with shop staff and servers. In restaurants, many people prefer 〜をお願いします, which sounds a little softer. Asking a teacher or boss for something is more comfortable with a longer form you learn at N4, such as 〜をいただけますか.
をください example sentences
すみません、水をください。
Excuse me, could I have some water?
これをください。
I'll take this one.
京都までの切符を二枚ください。
Two tickets to Kyoto, please.
このりんごを三つください。
Three of these apples, please.
少し時間をください。
Please give me a little time.
明日、電話をください。
Please call me tomorrow.
In the last example, 電話 is a noun, so をください works even though English uses the verb “call.” You could also say 電話してください, which is the てください version with the verb 電話する.
Nuance of をください
をください asks for something to move from the listener to you. That is why it fits shops and restaurants so well: the staff hand you what you asked for.
It is a clear, polite command, not a hint. Compare:
- コーヒーがほしいです。 — I want coffee. (a statement about your wish)
- コーヒーをください。 — Coffee, please. (an actual request)
At a counter, the second one is what gets you coffee. ほしいです describes your feelings; it doesn’t ask anyone to act.
Soften it: add すみません before the request, or use お水 instead of 水. The お prefix makes everyday items sound gentler, and restaurant staff use it all the time.
をください vs てください
These two patterns share ください and both translate as “please,” but they request different things.
The first sentence gets you water. The second tells the listener to drink it. If the word before ください is a noun, you need を. If it is a verb, it must be in て-form, and there is no を between the verb and ください. See てください for the full rules.
Common mistakes with をください
The thing requested is the object of ください, so it takes を. が belongs to がほしい, not to ください.
When you order, the number goes after を and right before ください. Putting it before the noun with の sounds stiff.
A verb can't take をください. To ask for an action, change the verb to て-form and add ください.
ください only means “give to me.” For giving to someone else, use a verb like 渡す in てください.
Is をください on the JLPT?
Yes. をください is JLPT N5 grammar and very common in the listening section, especially in shop and restaurant dialogues.
At N5 you should be able to:
- Choose を before ください, not が or に
- Understand quantity phrases like 三つください and 二枚ください
- Tell をください (thing) from てください (action)
Listening questions often ask what the customer ends up buying, for example “How many tickets does the man buy?” The number comes right before ください, so listen closely to that spot. Customers in these dialogues sometimes change their order mid-conversation, and the final request is the answer.
Practice questions for をください
Show answer
すみません、メニューをください。 — Excuse me, could I have the menu?
Show answer
切符を二枚ください。 — Two tickets, please.
Show answer
このみかんを五つください。 — Five of these oranges, please.
Show answer
あとで返事をください。 — Please get back to me later.
Learning path for をください
Related grammar to review next
- てください — the action partner of をください: “please do,” not “please give.”
- を particle — the object marker that links the item to ください.
- がほしい — says you want something without actually asking for it.
- お / ご — the polite prefix you hear in お水をください.
- お～ください — an N4 pattern that shares ください but uses a verb stem, easy to confuse by its name.
Learn をください with Hane
Hane puts をください into shop, station, and restaurant dialogues so you practice numbers and counters in context. Build your ordering phrases one short session at a time on Hane.
FAQ about をください
What does をください (o kudasai) mean in Japanese?
をください (o kudasai) means “please give me”. It is JLPT N5 grammar. ください is the request form of くださる, a polite verb that means “give (to me).” Attached to a noun with を, it asks the listener to hand that thing over to you.
How do you form をください (o kudasai)?
Put the item before を, then ください. Nounをください 水 + を + ください → 水をください Adding a number.
What is the difference between をください and てください?
Noun + をください: please give me a thing. Verb て-form + ください: please do an action.
What is an example sentence with をください (o kudasai)?
すみません、水をください。 — Excuse me, could I have some water?