Which one should you use?
While おいで is gentle and inviting, the form 来い is a harsh, forceful command and should be used with caution.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
おいで is typically used when speaking to children, pets or very close subordinates. For a polite request, you can add 下さい to the end to form おいで下さい. For more formal situations, you might use こちらに来てください, こちらまでおいでください (which is considered more polite than other options) or the respectful invitation おいでくださいませ, often used by customer service personnel or in formal settings. In business or official settings, こちらへお越しください is a formal way to invite someone to come over.
How does it change in a sentence?
The colloquial word こっち, meaning 'this way / over here', is often added to おいで to specify the direction.
How do you pronounce it?
oide
Did you know?
- The word おいで originates from the honorific verb おいでになる, which was historically used to describe the movement of high-ranking people.
- While おいで is used for 'come here', the same root word おいで can be used in certain contexts to mean 'to be' or 'to stay' in a location.
- The harsh command 来い is frequently used in anime and manga to portray 'tough' characters, making it sound more common to learners than it actually is in real-life polite society.
Examples in context
- こっちおいで。Come here.This sentence shows how to use おいで to say 'come here'.Tatoeba #2975833 by tommy_san, translation #39944 by Swift
- 二人ともこっちにおいで。Come here, you two.This sentence demonstrates using おいで when addressing two people.Tatoeba #11199043 by small_snow, translation #5176955 by Hybrid
- どうぞこちらへおいで下さい。Please come here.This sentence shows how to turn the phrase into a polite request using おいで.Tatoeba #201337 by bunbuku, translation #987488 by CK
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yui is calling her younger brother Ren to help her with something.
- 結衣 Yui蓮、ちょっとおいで。Ren, chotto oide.Ren, come here for a second.
- 蓮 Renなに？Nani?What is it?
- 結衣 Yuiこれを見て。すごいよ。Kore o mite. Sugoi yo.Look at this. It's amazing.
- 蓮 Ren本当だ！Honto da!You're right!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
