付き合ってください
Tsukiatte kudasai
To ask someone to go out with me in Japanese, say 付き合ってください (Tsukiatte kudasai).
付き合ってください is the standard way to make a romantic confession, called kokuhaku and ask someone to start a relationship. It often comes after 好きです, meaning I like you.
What does it mean word for word?
付き合って is the te form of 付き合う (tsukiau), to associate with or keep company with someone and ください turns it into a polite request.
Which one should you use?
付き合う can also mean going along with a plan or keeping a friend company, but in a confession it means to start dating. To invite someone out without a confession, you can say お茶でも飲みに行きませんか？, how about going for a cup of tea or casually 一緒に出かけない？, wanna go out together?
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Dropping ください and saying just 付き合って makes the request more casual and intimate.
How do you pronounce it?
It is romanized Tsukiatte kudasai. The double t is held slightly longer than a single one.
Did you know?
- While English speakers often date casually before becoming 'exclusive', the act of saying 付き合ってください usually marks the official start of a committed relationship immediately.
- In Japanese schools, a kokuhaku often takes place behind the gym or on the school rooftop, scenes so common they have become clichés in anime and manga.
- The concept of kokuhaku is so ingrained that failing to use a formal phrase like 付き合ってください can lead to 'ambiguous relationships' where both parties are unsure if they are actually dating.
Examples in context
- 僕と付き合ってください。Please go out with me.Adding 僕と makes it with me, a phrase used mostly by male speakers.Tatoeba #10741268 by bunbuku, translation #10741261 by CK
- 好きです。付き合ってください。I like you. Please go out with me.This is the classic confession, 好きです followed by 付き合ってください.Tatoeba #4153670 by tommy_san, translation #13572531 by CK
- ずっと前から好きでした。付き合ってください！Zutto mae kara suki deshita. Tsukiatte kudasai!I have liked you for a long time. Please go out with me!
Example conversation
Kenta confesses his feelings to Himari at a park.
- 健太 Kenta陽葵さん、付き合ってください。Himari-san, tsukiatte kudasai.Himari, please go out with me.
- 陽葵 Himariえっ、びっくりした。はい、お願いします。E, bikkuri shita. Hai, onegaishimasu.Eh, you surprised me. Yes, please.
- 健太 Kenta本当ですか？すごく嬉しいです！Honto desu ka? Sugoku ureshii desu!Really? I am so happy!
- 陽葵 Himari健太くん、これからもよろしくね。Kenta-kun, kore kara mo yoroshiku ne.Kenta, I look forward to our relationship.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
