English–Japanese
“ask” in Japanese
How to say “ask” in Japanese
“Ask” in Japanese is 頼む (tanomu).
Centers on asking another person to provide help or take a requested action, ranging from a normal request to an earnest plea.
Example sentences with 頼む
友だちに手伝いを頼みます。tomo da chi ni te tsuda i o tano mi ma su
I ask my friend for help.
母に駅まで送ってくれるよう頼みました。haha ni eki ma de oku tte ku re ru yō tano mi ma shi ta
I asked my mother to take me to the station.
Tips for using 頼む
- For a beginner, 頼む (tanomu) is the natural choice when asking someone to do a favor, not when asking for information; Japanese uses a different verb for questions.
Other Japanese words for “ask”
駅への道を尋ねます。eki e no michi o tazu ne ma su
I ask for directions to the station.
駅員に道を伺います。eki in ni michi o ukaga i ma su
I will ask a station worker for directions.
私は先生に理由を問います。watashi wa sen sei ni ri yū o to i ma su
I ask the teacher for the reason.
分からないことは先生にうかがいます。wa ka ra na i ko to wa sen sei ni u ka ga i ma su
I ask my teacher about things I do not understand.