いいですか？
ii desu ka?
In Japanese, "may I" is expressed as いいですか？ (ii desu ka?)
The phrase is used to politely ask for permission to do something. While it can mean "May I?", it is also used more broadly to ask "Is it okay?" or "Is this alright?" regarding a situation or object.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In very formal or business settings, いいですか？ is replaced by the more polite よろしいでしょうか？ For an informal way to ask for permission or seek approval, you can use ~te mo ii (~てもいい).
How does it change in a sentence?
To use this phrase to mean "may I (do something)?", it is most commonly attached to a verb in the -te form followed by もいいですか？ For example, Mite mo ii (見てもいい) translates to "Is it okay if I look?"
How do you pronounce it?
ii desu ka?
When do people say it?
When someone asks for permission using this phrase, a common way to grant it is to respond with はい、いいですよ (Yes, that's fine.). If a Japanese speaker needs to politely decline a request for permission, they often say すみません、ちょっと… (I'm sorry, it's a bit…) instead of using a direct "no".
Did you know?
- In Japanese, the concept of 'permission' is deeply tied to meiwaku, which means 'annoying others'. Asking いいですか？ is often more about confirming you aren't causing a nuisance than asking for a right.
- If a person responds to いいですか？ with 結構です (kekkou desu), they are likely declining the request, as this word emphasizes that the current state is already 'sufficient'.
- The phrase いいですか？ can be used as a 'verbal punctuation mark' to check if the listener is still paying attention before the speaker continues their story.
Examples in context
- 入っていいですか？May I come in?This example shows how to use the phrase to ask if you may come in.Tatoeba #10622619 by bunbuku, translation #456355 by lukaszpp
- 入ってもいいですか？May I enter?This example demonstrates asking for permission to enter using the -te form.Tatoeba #4147428 by tommy_san, translation #10107162 by CK
- ここ座っていいですか？May I sit here?This example shows how to ask permission to sit in a specific spot.Tatoeba #4842955 by tommy_san, translation #61514 by CK
- お探しの本をお持ちしてもよろしいでしょうか。May I bring you the book you're looking for?
- 写真を撮っていただけませんか。May I ask you to take a photo?
- コーヒーをください。May I have a coffee, please?
- これ、見てもいい？Can I look at this?
- 61 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta is asking Hiromi for permission to use her pen.
- 健太 Kentaあの、ペンを借りてもいいですか？ano, pen o karite mo ii desu ka?Um, may I borrow a pen?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、いいですよ。hai, ii desu yo.Yes, of course.
- 健太 Kentaありがとうございます。arigatou gozaimasu.Thank you very much.
- 陽葵 Himariいいですよ、使ってください。ii desu yo, tsukatte kudasai.You're welcome, please use it.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
