教えてください
oshiete kudasai
In Japanese, "please let me know" is said as 教えてください (oshiete kudasai).
The phrase is a polite request for someone to provide specific information or an answer. While the literal meaning involves the concept of "teaching," this is the standard way to ask someone to provide information or an answer in a polite manner.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form 教えてください is polite and suitable for daily conversation or speaking to acquaintances, but it may be too casual for very formal business correspondence. For a higher level of politeness in more formal settings, you can use お知らせいただけますか. Conversely, if you are speaking informally, you can use 教えてくれる？ to mean "Can you let me know?"
How do you pronounce it?
oshiete kudasai
Did you know?
- Japanese has a specific concept called kūki o yomu or 'reading the air'. Sometimes, people avoid saying 教えてください entirely, expecting the other person to 'let them know' through non-verbal cues.
- In high-level business Japanese, using 教えてください can sound demanding because it is a direct request. Professionals often use the 'humble' form ご教示ください to show they are beneath the person they are asking.
- When asking for a secret or a confession, Japanese speakers might use 白状して instead of 教えてください. The term 白状 specifically refers to 'confessing' a crime or a hidden truth.
Examples in context
- 私に教えてください。Please let me know.This sentence demonstrates the basic use of 教えてください.Tatoeba #164410 by bunbuku, translation #250098 by CK
- 痛かったら教えてください。Please let me know if it hurts.This sentence shows how to use 教えてください to express a conditional request.Tatoeba #125691 by small_snow, translation #278299 by CK
- 決まり次第教えてください。Please let me know as soon as it's decided.This sentence shows how to use 教えてください when asking for information as soon as something is decided.Tatoeba #175922 by small_snow, translation #238542 by CK
- 明日の会議の詳細を知らせてください。Please let me know the details of tomorrow's meeting.
- お支払い方法についてお知らせいただけますか。Could you please let me know about the payment methods?
- 明日のパーティーの場所、教えてくれる？Can you let me know the location of tomorrow's party?
- 明日の天気、教えておいてよ。Please let me know the weather forecast for tomorrow.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Yui are discussing a schedule for a meeting.
- 蓮 Ren明日の時間はいつにしますか？Ashita no jikan wa itsu ni shimasu ka?What time will we make it tomorrow?
- 結衣 Yuiまだ確認中です。Mada kakunin chuu desu.I am still checking.
- 蓮 Renわかりました。決まったら教えてください。Wakarimashita. Kimattara oshiete kudasai.I see. Please let me know when it is decided.
- 結衣 Yuiはい、すぐ連絡します。Hai, sugu renraku shimasu.Yes, I will contact you immediately.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
