Keigo at School: Talking to Teachers Without Freezing Up

Yesterday at the hospital you used すみません、もう一度お願いします to ask someone to repeat themselves. The same sentence works at school, but the register shifts. Teachers sit somewhere between a doctor and a friend of your parents — polite, but not distant.

The three phrases that carry most of the weight

At school, the default polite form is です／ます, but with a slight lift. The three sentences below will get you through most hallway and classroom interactions.

おはようございます (ohayou gozaimasu) — good morning. Not just for the first hour. In many schools you say it whenever you first see a teacher that day, even at 2pm.

失礼します (shitsurei shimasu) — literally "I am being rude," used when entering a staff room, leaving a classroom early, or interrupting. It is the polite version of "excuse me" when you are crossing a boundary.

お願いします (onegai shimasu) — please. Add it to almost any request. 「これ、お願いします」 (kore, onegai shimasu) — this, please.

Asking a question in class

You are in your city, sitting in a classroom, and the teacher says something you did not catch. You have two options.

If you missed a word: 「すみません、もう一度お願いします」 (sumimasen, mou ichido onegai shimasu) — sorry, once more please.

If you did not understand the explanation: 「すみません、もう少しゆっくり話していただけますか」 (sumimasen, mou sukoshi yukkuri hanashite itadakemasu ka) — sorry, could you speak a little more slowly?

That last one uses 〜ていただけますか (te itadakemasu ka), which is the polite request form. It sounds formal but not stiff. Teachers hear it as respectful, not weird.

Apologising for being late

Do not just slide into your seat. Stand at the door and say:

「遅れました。すみません」 (okuremashita. sumimasen) — I was late. Sorry.

If you have a reason, keep it short. 「電車が遅れました」 (densha ga okuremashita) — the train was delayed. Then sit down. Long explanations in the doorway make everyone uncomfortable, including the teacher.

At a formal school event

Graduations, entrance ceremonies, and school festivals have their own vocabulary.

お世話になりました (osewa ni narimashita) — literally "I was in your care." You say this to a teacher at the end of a term, at graduation, or when thanking them for help. It is warmer than ありがとうございました and slightly more formal.

よろしくお願いします (yoroshiku onegai shimasu) — please treat me well / I look forward to working with you. Used at the start of a new term or when meeting a teacher for the first time.

ご指導ありがとうございました (goshidou arigatou gozaimashita) — thank you for your guidance. This is for the end of a class, a club activity, or a graduation speech. ご指導 (goshidou) means guidance or instruction, and the ご makes it polite.

A note on bowing

You do not need to bow deeply every time. A short nod — maybe 15 degrees — is enough for a greeting in the hallway. A deeper bow, around 30 degrees, is for apologies or formal thanks. If you are not sure, watch what the Japanese students around you do and match them. In your country, the habit might feel strange at first, but after a week it becomes automatic.

What not to say

Avoid casual forms like 「先生、ちょっといい？」 (sensei, chotto ii?) — teacher, got a sec? — unless you are genuinely close to that teacher and have heard them use casual forms with you first. With most teachers, stick to です／ます and the phrases above. You will not sound stiff. You will sound like someone who knows the rules.

Tomorrow: what happens when the polite register moves to paper. Emails to teachers, landlords, and offices have their own set phrases, and getting the opening line wrong is the most common mistake.