Home » nouns » Onegai is the Japanese word for ‘request’, explained
By Masaki Mori
What does “onegai” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “onegai” often to mean ‘request’ in Japanese. Perhaps, some Japanese learners know this word as it is sometimes used in Japanese conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners understand “onegai” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
- Definition and meanings of “onegai”
- What does “onegai” literally mean in Japanese?
- Example #1: how to say “request” in Japanese
- Example #2: another usage of “onegai”
- Summary
Definition and meanings of “onegai”
Let me start with the definition and meanings of “onegai”.
- onegai – お願い (おねがい) : a noun meaning ‘request’, ‘favor’, or ‘wish’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.
Japanese native speakers use this noun to refer to something that they want someone to do. It’s also worth mentioning here that they use this like a phrase to mean just ‘please’ especially in speaking.
The definition and meanings are not that difficult, I think. To understand this noun more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.
What does “onegai” literally mean in Japanese?
“Onegai” consists of the following two components:
- o – お : a prefix making its following word polite.
- negai – 願い (ねがい) : a noun meaning ‘request’, ‘favor’ or ‘wish’ in Japanese.
These two components tell us that “onegai” is literally the polite expression of “negai” and thus politely means ‘request’, ‘favor’, or ‘wish’ in Japanese.
When we meet new Japanese words, we should check their grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, grammatical components tell us a lot about the meanings of the words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “onegai” through the detailed check above.
So far, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “onegai” together with its grammatical components. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentences below.
Example #1: how to say “request” in Japanese
kore wa boku no onegai desu – これは僕のお願いです (これはぼくのおねがいです)
This is my request.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kore – これ : a demonstrative pronoun used to refer to something close to the speaker. In the example, this is used to mean ‘this’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kore” to make the subject in the sentence.
- boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is used mainly by boys and young males.
- no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its possessive case, “boku no”, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.
- desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “boku no onegai” to make it sound polite.
This is a typical usage of “onegai”. In this example, it works as a part of the noun phrase, “boku no onegai”, which means ‘my request’ in Japanese. When we want to refer to something that we ask someone to do in Japanese, this noun is always a good option.
Example #2: another usage of “onegai”
「onegai」to kanojo ga it ta – 「お願い」と彼女が言った (「おねがい」とかのじょがいった)
“Please,” she said.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what she said.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
- it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu“, which means ‘to say’ or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.
This is another typical usage of “onegai”. In this example, it works like a phrase to mean ‘please’ in Japanese. When we want to mean ‘please’ especially in speaking, this can be a good option.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “onegai” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.
- onegai – お願い (おねがい) : a noun meaning ‘request’, ‘favor’, or ‘wish’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. When we want to refer to something that we ask someone to do in Japanese, this noun is always a good option. It’s also worth mentioning here that Japanese native speakers use this like a phrase to mean ‘please’ especially in speaking.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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