教えてください
oshiete kudasai
please teach me in Japanese is 教えてください (oshiete kudasai).
This phrase is a polite request used when you want someone to provide information or explain how to perform a task. In English, we often distinguish between 'teaching' a skill and 'telling' information, but in Japanese, 教えてください covers both scenarios.
Which one should you use?
While 教えてください is a polite way to say 'please teach me' or 'could you please tell me', the shorter version 教えて is used for casual requests.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
教えてください is a polite request suitable for speaking to strangers or superiors, though it is not formal enough for extremely respectful business contexts or highly ceremonial situations. In contrast, 教えて is an informal version that is appropriate for friends or family.
How do you pronounce it?
oshiete kudasai
Did you know?
- While 教えてください is polite, if you are asking a teacher or a professor for guidance, it is often more natural to use the even more respectful ご教授ください (go-kyouju kudasai).
- The verb in 教えてください can also mean 'to reveal' a secret or a hidden piece of information. It is a common way to ask someone to share a tip or a trick that they are keeping to themselves.
- The word 教える (oshieru) shares its root with the word for 'doctrine' or 'precept' in some contexts, linking the act of teaching directly to the transmission of established principles.
Examples in context
- 英語を教えてください。Please teach me English.This sentence is useful for asking someone to teach you English using 教えてください.Tatoeba #164468 by small_snow, translation #250040 by CN
- やり方を教えてください。Please teach me how to do that.This sentence is useful for asking someone to teach you how to do something using 教えてください.Tatoeba #193024 by bunbuku, translation #6350210 by CK
- 花札のやり方、誰か教えてください。Can someone please teach me how to play hanafuda?This sentence is useful for asking someone to teach you how to play hanafuda using 教えてください.Tatoeba #9988661 by small_snow, translation #10180092 by tsp_2
- 漢字を教えてTeach me kanji.
Example conversation
Ren asks Misaki for help with a recipe at home.
- 蓮 Renこの料理の作り方を教えてください。Kono ryouri no tsukurikata o oshiete kudasai.Please teach me how to make this dish.
- 美咲 Misakiいいですよ。レシピを見ますね。Ii desu yo. Reshipi o mimasu ne.Sure. I'll look at the recipe.
- 蓮 Ren美咲さんは料理がとても上手ですね。Misaki-san wa ryouri ga totemo jouzu desu ne.You are very good at cooking, Misaki.
- 美咲 Misakiそんなことないですよ。Sonna koto nai desu yo.That's not true.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
