折り返し電話して
orikaeshi denwa shite
The English phrase 'call me back' is translated into Japanese as 折り返し電話して (orikaeshi denwa shite).
This phrase is used to request that someone telephone you again after you have finished your current call or after they have received your message.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 折り返し (orikaeshi) literally means 'folding back' or 'returning,' which conveys the concept of returning a call.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form 折り返し電話して is informal and should be used with friends or family. For a polite version, you can use 折り返し電話してください. In professional business settings, the informal default is too blunt and should be replaced with much more polite constructions such as 折り返しお電話いただけますでしょうか or お手数ですが、電話をいただけますか. You may also use 折り返しの電話をお願いします to mean 'Please make a callback.'
How do you pronounce it?
orikaeshi denwa shite
Did you know?
- If you are asking someone to call you back because you are busy, you might use the term 手が空いたら (te ga aitara), which literally means 'when your hands are free'. This focuses on the other person's availability rather than your own.
- While 電話 (denwa) means 'telephone', the word is composed of the characters for 'electricity' and 'talk', reflecting the era when the invention was first introduced to Japan.
- The expression お手数ですが (o-tesū desu ga), often paired with callback requests, literally means 'this is a burden on your hands'.
Examples in context
- どうして折り返し電話してくれなかったの？Why didn't you call me back?Tatoeba #8580482 by small_snow, translation #2664720 by Hybrid
- あいつらさ、折り返し電話してこなかったんだ。They didn't call me back.Tatoeba #9055011 by small_snow, translation #9055003 by CK
- 後で折り返し電話して。ato de orikaeshi denwa shite.Call me back later.
Example conversation
Yui is calling Hiroto while he is busy.
- 結衣 Yui今、忙しそうね。Ima, isogashisō ne.You seem busy right now.
- 大翔 Hirotoうん、ちょっと手が離せないんだ。Un, chotto te ga hanasenain da.Yeah, I can't really talk at the moment.
- 結衣 Yuiわかった。じゃあ、後で折り返し電話して。Wakatta. Jaa, ato de orikaeshi denwa shite.I see. Then, call me back later.
- 大翔 Hiroto了解。すぐにかけ直すよ。Ryōkai. Sugu ni kake-naosu yo.Got it. I'll call you back soon.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
