〜てください (te kudasai)

JLPT N5

The everyday way to ask someone to do something — “please ~.”

Meaning

“Please do ~.” A polite request or gentle instruction to perform the action.

Formation

• Verb (て-form) + ください

• Casual: 〜て

Examples

ちょっと待ってください。

Chotto matte kudasai. — Please wait a moment.

ここに名前を書いてください。

Koko ni namae o kaite kudasai. — Please write your name here.

資料を送ってください。

Shiryō o okutte kudasai. — Please send the materials.

また来てね。

Mata kite ne. — Come again, okay? (casual)

How it works

〜てください covers both polite requests and gentle instructions — a teacher, a form, a recipe. It's neutral-polite: fine with strangers, colleagues, and customers.

For extra politeness, upgrade to 〜ていただけますか (“could you please ~?”).

Compared with similar expressions

• 〜てください — polite request. “Please do.”

• 〜ないでください — negative request. “Please don't.”

• 〜ていただけますか — more polite. “Could you please ~?”

Common mistakes

• Use the て-form: ✗ 書くください → ✓ 書いてください

• It can sound like an order — soften with すみませんが or ちょっと in service settings.

Related grammar

• 〜ないでください — please don't

• 〜てもいい — may

• 〜ましょう — let's