間違いを直してください
machigai o naoshite kudasai
In Japanese, "please correct my mistakes" is said as 間違いを直してください (machigai o naoshite kudasai).
This phrase is commonly used by language learners when asking a teacher or a native speaker to correct their Japanese grammar or pronunciation.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of machigai (mistake/error), o (object marker), naoshite (the te-form of the verb naosu, meaning to fix or correct) and kudasai (please).
Which one should you use?
Using the verb teisei suru (to correct/rectify) instead of naosu (to fix) makes the request sound more formal and professional, often used in academic or business contexts. On the other hand, dropping kudasai at the end makes the request an informal command or a casual request used with friends.
How do you pronounce it?
machigai o naoshite kudasai
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers might mistakenly use machigai o shite kudasai (please do a mistake), but naosu (to fix) is the necessary verb for correction.
Did you know?
- The verb naosu is also used for 'healing' a sickness or injury. In Japanese, fixing a typo and curing a cold are expressed using the same core linguistic concept of restoration.
- In a business or highly respectful environment, you might avoid the word 'mistake' entirely by asking for go-shidō kudasai. This translates to 'please give me your guidance', which frames the correction as a gift of wisdom rather than a fix for a failure.
- The word machigai comes from the verb machigau, which can also mean 'to take the wrong path'. This links the idea of a grammatical error to the physical act of getting lost.
Examples in context
- 間違いを直してください。Machigai o naoshite kudasai.Please correct my mistakes.
- 作文の間違いを直してください。Sakubun no machigai o naoshite kudasai.Please correct the mistakes in my essay.
Example conversation
Yota is asking Misaki to check his Japanese homework.
- 陽太 Yotaこの作文を読んで、間違いを直してください。Kono sakubun o yonde, machigai o naoshite kudasai.Please read this essay and correct my mistakes.
- 美咲 Misakiいいよ。すぐに確認するね。Ii yo. Sugu ni kakunin suru ne.Sure. I'll check it right away.
- 陽太 Yotaありがとうございます。Arigatou gozaimasu.Thank you very much.
- 美咲 Misaki全然大丈夫。とても上手だよ。Zenzen daijoubu. Totemo jouzu da yo.No problem at all. You are very good.
