Volume 1 · Chapter 02

Politeness Engine

Use です, ます, ください, and すみません as your default speech mode.

For travel and early life in Japan, speak politely by default. It is simple, useful, and socially safe. Casual Japanese matters for listening, but polite Japanese should be your first production mode.

The four workhorses

polite “is / am / are”
polite verb ending
please give me / please do
excuse me / sorry / thanks for the trouble

です: identify and describe

Use です after nouns and many adjectives. It makes short sentences sound complete and polite.

It is water.
It is okay. / I am okay.
It is necessary.
It is my first time.

ます: polite actions

I go / will go.
I wait / will wait.
I pay / will pay.
I confirm / will check.

すみません opens doors

Use すみません constantly. It opens conversations, gets attention, softens requests, and repairs small friction.

Excuse me. / Sorry.
Excuse me, please.
Sorry, one more time please.
Excuse me, may I ask something?

Requests with ください

There are two common shapes:

  1. Noun + をください = please give me.
  2. Te-form + ください = please do.
Water, please.
This one, please.
Please wait a little.
Please speak slowly.
Please write it here.
Please show me.

お願いします

is broader than “please.” It means you are entrusting the request to the other person. It works for ordering, asking for service, and confirming a choice.

By card, please.
Takeout, please.
This plan, please.

Kanji reality check

お願い おねがい request / please Often appears as お願いします, the general-purpose polite request. 水 みず water 少し すこし a little 必要 ひつよう necessary 確認 かくにん confirmation / check 大丈夫 だいじょうぶ okay / all right Very common phrase meaning; do not read it character by character.

Mini dialogue

Randomized practice

Polite Request Practice

1/14

  1. Say it

    Get someone’s attention politely.