少々お待ちください
shōshō omachi kudasai
In Japanese, "just a moment" is said as 少々お待ちください (shōshō omachi kudasai).
少々お待ちください is a respectful way to ask someone to wait for a short period of time. It is commonly used in business or customer service settings.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of two parts: 少々 (shōshō), which literally means "a little" or "a small amount" and お待ちください (omachi kudasai), which means "please wait". In the latter, o is a respectful prefix, machi is the stem of the verb to wait and kudasai means "please".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
少々お待ちください is a formal and polite way to ask someone to wait. For even more politeness, especially when acknowledging the inconvenience caused to the listener, you can use お手数ですが、少々お待ちいただけますか. In hospitality or customer service contexts, the phrase お待ちくださいませ is also frequently used. For casual situations with close friends, use the informal ちょっと待ってて.
How do you pronounce it?
shōshō omachi kudasai
Did you know?
- While 少々お待ちください asks for 'a small amount' of time, in a Japanese business context, this can often signal a wait of several minutes rather than a few seconds.
- The word 少々 (shōshō) can also be used to describe a small amount of alcohol, such as a 'small amount' of sake, though this is unrelated to the request to wait.
- When saying 少々お待ちください in a service role, staff often accompany the phrase with a deep bow to visually signal the apology for the interruption.
Examples in context
- 少々お待ちください。Wait just a moment.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase 少々お待ちください.Tatoeba #8886173 by small_snow, translation #435746 by CK
- 申し訳ありませんが、少々お待ちくださいI'm sorry, but please wait a moment.
- ちょっと待っててねJust wait a moment, okay?
- 宛先を確認しますので、少々お待ちください。atesaki o kakunin shimasu node, shōshō omachi kudasai.I will check the address, so please wait just a moment.
Example conversation
A customer asks a clerk at a shop for a specific item.
- 陽葵 Himariすみません、このバッグはありますか？sumimasen, kono baggu wa arimasu ka?Excuse me, do you have this bag?
- 大翔 Hiroto在庫を確認しますので、少々お待ちください。zaiko o kakunin shimasu node, shōshō omachi kudasai.I will check the stock, so please wait just a moment.
- 陽葵 Himariはい、お願いします。hai, onegaishimasu.Yes, please.
- 大翔 Hirotoお待たせいたしました、こちらです。omatase itashimashita, kochira desu.Thank you for waiting, here it is.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
