やめて
yamete
The Japanese phrase for "stop that" is やめて (yamete).
やめて is a command used to tell someone to quit doing something that is annoying or harmful.
Which one should you use?
You can use やめろ (yamero) to deliver a much harsher and more aggressive command. You can also use だめ (dame) to say "no" or "don't" to informally tell someone to stop, or だめよ (dame yo) as an informal way to tell someone to stop.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The default form やめて is used in casual settings, such as with friends, family or children. For a polite way to ask someone to stop, you should use やめてください (yamete kudasai). Conversely, やめろ (yamero) is a direct, informal and aggressive command.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the command やめて polite, you can add ください (kudasai) to the end to form やめてください.
How do you pronounce it?
yamete
Did you know?
- The much harsher form やめろ is often heard in 'anime' or Japanese action films during combat or intense arguments, whereas using it in real life can be seen as a serious provocation.
- The word やめる shares a linguistic root with words describing 'giving up' or 'resigning' from a job, so the command can carry the nuance of 'abandoning' an action entirely.
- While やめて is a command, when spoken with a rising intonation and a softer tone, it can function as a gentle request or even a flirtatious tease.
Examples in context
- やめて。くすぐったい。Stop. That tickles.This sentence is useful for showing how to use やめて to tell someone to stop because something tickles.Tatoeba #10505940 by small_snow, translation #1908407 by Spamster
- やめて！うるさいよ。Yamete! Urusai yo.Stop that! You're being noisy.
- そんなこと、やめてください。Sonna koto, yamete kudasai.Please stop doing that.
Example conversation
A boy is teasing his sister by taking her phone.
- 結衣 Yuiやめて、大翔！Yamete, Hiroto!Stop that, Hiroto!
- 大翔 Hirotoえー、いいじゃん。Ee, ii jan.Oh, come on, it's fine.
- 結衣 Yui本当に、やめて！Hontou ni, yamete!Seriously, stop it!
- 大翔 Hirotoわかったよ、ごめん。Wakatta yo, gomen.Okay, okay, sorry.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
