How to Say "Please Sit" in Japanese

お座りください

osuwarikudasai

The English phrase "please sit" is expressed in Japanese as お座りください (osuwarikudasai).

お座りください is used to make a polite request for someone to take a seat.

Which one should you use?

For a more informal setting, you can use Suwatte to mean "sit".

osuwarikudasai

Using お座り alone is the universal command used to train dogs to sit in Japan. Because of this, saying it to a person without the polite ください can sound like you are treating them like a pet.
Japanese distinguishes between sitting styles with specific words, such as 正座 for the formal kneeling position on heels and 胡坐 for sitting cross-legged.
While お座りください is polite, it is still a direct command. In very high-level Japanese etiquette, one might avoid telling a guest to sit entirely, instead opting to wait for the guest to settle themselves naturally.

前の方から詰めてお座りください。
Please sit as close to the front as possible.
This sentence is useful for asking someone to sit closer to the front using お座りください.
Tatoeba #4884621 by tommy_san, translation #4922117 by gustonrankin
お座りください。
Please sit down.
This sentence is a simple way to say "Please sit down" using お座りください.
Tatoeba #978433 by Narumi, translation #415594 by CM

Yui, a receptionist, invites Yota, a client, into a waiting room.

結衣 Yui

陽太さん、こちらへどうぞ。
Yota-san, kochira e douzo.
Mr. Yota, please come this way.
陽太 Yota

ありがとうございます。
Arigatou gozaimasu.
Thank you very much.
結衣 Yui

どうぞ、こちらにお座りください。
Douzo, kochira ni osuwari kudasai.
Please, have a seat here.
陽太 Yota

失礼します。
Shitsurei shimasu.
Excuse me (as he sits).

Sources

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