やめろ
yamero
The English phrase 'knock it off' is translated into Japanese as やめろ (yamero).
やめろ is used to tell someone to cease doing something immediately. It functions as an informal command equivalent to 'Stop it!' or 'Knock it off!'
Meaning: cease doing something (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word やめろ is the imperative or command form of the verb yameru, which means to stop or cease.
Which one should you use?
While やめろ is a blunt command, you can use the form やめて to make the request much softer and less aggressive, behaving more like 'please stop' than a harsh 'knock it off'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
やめろ is an informal and often aggressive way to speak. For a respectful way to say 'Please quit it' or 'Please stop it', use やめてください.
How does it change in a sentence?
The command becomes much softer and less aggressive when you change the ending to やめて, which functions as a polite or soft request.
How do you pronounce it?
yamero
Did you know?
- While やめろ is a command to cease an action, it cannot be used to tell someone to 'stop' a physical object from moving, like a rolling ball.
- In Japanese pop culture, such as anime, characters often use やめろ to sound 'tough' or 'cool', whereas in real life it sounds like an angry outburst.
- While やめて is softer than やめろ, it is frequently used as a playful or flirtatious way to say 'stop it' between couples.
Examples in context
- いい加減にやめろ。Ii kagen ni yamero.Knock it off already.
- そんな嫌がらせはやめろ。Sonna iyagarasé wa yamero.Stop that kind of harassment.
- ふざけるのはやめろ。Fuzakeru no wa yamero.Stop messing around.
Example conversation
A brother tells his younger sister to stop teasing him.
- 健太 Kentaやめろ、結衣！Yamero, Yui!Knock it off, Yui!
- 結衣 Yuiえー、何で？E-, nande?Eh, why?
- 健太 Kentaうるさいから、やめろって。Urusai kara, yamero tte.Because it's noisy, I said knock it off.
- 結衣 Yuiわかったよ。Wakatta yo.Alright, I get it.
