Which one should you use?
ください is a polite request, but it is more of a direct command than a soft question. For a more humble and truly polite way to say "May I have" (especially when asking for a favor or permission), use いただけますか instead. In casual speech, you might use くれる？ to mean "Can I have" or ちょうだい among friends to mean "May I have that, please?"
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ください is used for polite requests. For a more humble and truly polite expression, especially when asking for a favor or permission, use いただけますか. For informal situations, you can use くれる？ or ちょうだい.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using ください to request an object, the object is marked with the particle を.
How do you pronounce it?
kudasai
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often use ください to ask for information like a phone number, but it is more natural in Japanese to use 教えてください (please tell me) when requesting information.
Did you know?
- If you use ください to ask for a person, such as 'may I have a doctor', it sounds like you are ordering a human being like a piece of food.
- The word ちょうだい is derived from the verb 頂く, which literally means 'to receive something from a superior by lifting it above one's head'.
- While ください is polite, using it with a superior in a business setting can sometimes sound too demanding because it is grammatically an imperative form.
Examples in context
- ロードマップをください。May I have a road map, please?This sentence is useful for requesting a road map.Tatoeba #192283 by bunbuku, translation #29446 by CK
- バスの時刻表をください。May I have a bus schedule?This sentence is useful for requesting a bus schedule.Tatoeba #198164 by small_snow, translation #35354 by CK
- 生年月日を教えてくださいますか？May I have your birth date?This sentence is useful for requesting someone's birth date.Tatoeba #142700 by bunbuku, translation #271870 by CK
- お水をください。May I have some water, please?
- コーヒーをいただけますか？May I have some coffee, please?
- 席をお願いします。May I have a seat, please?
- これをくれる？Can I have this?
- 田中さん, お水をくださいTanaka-san, o-mizu o kudasai
- メニューをお願いします。May I have a menu, please?
- チケットを1枚いただけますか？Can I have one ticket?
- お茶をもう少しいただけますか？May I have some more tea?
- この本、いただけますか？Can I have this book?
Example conversation
In a cafe, Himari asks Ren for a napkin.
- 陽葵 Himari蓮さん、ナプキンをください。Ren-san, napukin o kudasai.Ren, may I have a napkin, please?
- 蓮 Renはい、どうぞ。Hai, dōzo.Yes, here you go.
- 陽葵 Himariありがとうございます。Arigatō gozaimasu.Thank you very much.
- 蓮 Renいいえ、どういたしまして。Iie, dōitashimashite.No problem, you're welcome.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
