てください
🃏 Flashcard
てください
te kudasai
Tap to reveal usage
please do
N5
Tap to test your recall · +10 XP
📊 Pattern Stats
JLPT Level
N5
Beginner · Basic sentence structures
Reading
te kudasai
Post ID
50669
Patterns today
0
0 / 10 daily goal
📝 Usage Notes
please do
📖 How to use it
A polite way to ask someone to do something.
Attaches to
Attach to the て-form of a verb. For example, 食べる -> 食べて, 行く -> 行って. The て-form is used regardless of whether the verb is ichidan, godan, or irregular.
This is the standard, polite request form. You use it when you want to ask someone to do something in a respectful but direct way. It's common in everyday situations like asking for help, giving instructions, or making a request in a store or restaurant. For example, you might say 手伝ってください to ask someone to help you. The meaning is 'please do [action]'. The level of politeness is appropriate for most general situations when speaking to someone you are not extremely close to, or in a formal context. It is less polite than いただけませんか, but more polite than a plain command like 食べて.
水をください。
Mizu o kudasai.
Please give me water.
ここに名前を書いてください。
Koko ni namae o kaite kudasai.
Please write your name here.
もう一度言ってください。
Mou ichido itte kudasai.
Please say it again.
Not てください vs てもいいですか
てください is a request (asking someone to do something), while てもいいですか is asking for permission (asking if you may do something). For example, 窓を開けてください means 'Please open the window', but 窓を開けてもいいですか means 'May I open the window?'.
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Polite but everyday; used in both spoken and written Japanese, appropriate for most situations with acquaintances, strangers, and in service contexts.
🎯 Quick Quiz
What does this grammar pattern mean or do?
てください
📚 How to Master This Pattern
Say It Aloud
Press Hear it and repeat てください three times. Feel the rhythm — grammar patterns have a natural flow.
Flip Before Reading
Always try to recall the usage before flipping the card. Struggle = learning. Every failed recall makes the next one stick harder.
Write Two Sentences
Compose two original sentences using てください. One about yourself, one about something you see right now.
Spaced Review
Save this pattern and revisit at 10 min, 1 day, 3 days. Production (writing) beats recognition for grammar.
🔗 More JLPT N5 Patterns
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What does the grammar pattern てください mean?
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Please do
What JLPT level is てください?
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Nihoner currently groups this pattern under JLPT N5 — Beginner · Basic sentence structures. Use the level label as study guidance rather than a prediction of what will appear on an exam.
How do you use てください in a sentence?
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Attach てください (te kudasai) to the appropriate verb or noun form as described in the usage notes. Then try writing two original sentences — one about yourself and one about something around you.
Is てください formal or casual Japanese?
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てください is used in both casual and polite contexts. It appears frequently in everyday conversation, textbooks, and simple written materials.
How can I remember てください long-term?
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Use the flashcard on this page for active recall — see the pattern, reconstruct the usage from memory, then flip. Follow with the 4-choice quiz to distinguish it from similar patterns. Review later the same day and again over the following days. Writing original sentences can help you practise using the pattern in context.