戻ってきてください
modotte kite kudasai
The English phrase "please come back" is expressed in Japanese as 戻ってきてください (modotte kite kudasai).
This phrase is a polite request for someone to return to the speaker's current location. While 戻ってください means "please return," the phrase 戻ってきてください specifically emphasizes the direction of movement toward the person speaking.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
You can make the request more indirect and polite by using the negative question form 戻ってきてくださいませんか. For informal situations, such as speaking to friends or family, you can drop the ください to say 戻ってきて. Other informal variations include Kaette kite! (Come back!) or Mata kite ne! (Come back again!). If you want to say "Please come back once more," you can use the formal Mouichido kite kudasai or the casual Mou ichido oide yo!
How do you pronounce it?
modotte kite kudasai
Did you know?
- Japanese distinguishes between returning to a place you are currently at 戻る (modoru) and returning to your own home 帰る (kaeru), a distinction English does not make with the word 'return'.
- While 戻ってきてください is a request for return, the word 戻る (modoru) is also used in Japanese to describe a memory 'returning' to a person or a conversation 'returning' to a previous topic.
- In a business setting, if a customer says they are leaving, you might say またお越しください (Mata okoshi kudasai) instead of the standard 'come back' phrases. This uses a much higher level of respectful Japanese (keigo) specifically for welcoming someone's presence.
Examples in context
- ２：３０に戻ってきてください。Please come back at 2:30.This sentence shows how to use 戻ってきてください when specifying a return time.Tatoeba #10917175 by SomeHungryBois, translation #4017468 by CK
- 来週に戻ってきてください。Please come back next week.This sentence shows how to use 戻ってきてください when specifying a return timeframe like next week.Tatoeba #516516 by kyleadrian10, translation #516510 by kyleadrian10
- すぐに戻ってきてください。Sugu ni modotte kite kudasai.Please come back immediately.
Example conversation
Hiyori is talking to Yota who is leaving the room.
- 陽葵 Himari忘れ物があります。戻ってきてください。Wasuremono ga arimasu. Modotte kite kudasai.You forgot something. Please come back.
- 陽太 Yotaえっ、何を忘れましたか？E, nani o wasuremashita ka?What? What did I forget?
- 陽葵 Himari傘を置いていきましたよ。Kasa o oite ikimashita yo.You left your umbrella behind.
- 陽太 Yota本当だ。すぐに戻ります。Hontou da. Sugu ni modorimasu.You're right. I'll be right back.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
