What does the phrase “yamete kudasai” mean
What does the phrase “yamete kudasai” (やめてください) mean — “please stop”, a polite request to stop an action. The base is the verb 止める (yameru, “to stop”) in the te-form plus ください, “please”. The short やめて (yamete) is the same but informal, while the harsh やめろ (yamero) is a command “stop!”.
The phrase became a meme from a dubious context, but in Japanese it is a common request to stop: people use it to ask someone to turn down loud music, stop pushing on the train, or stop taking photos. Let’s break it down by parts and levels of politeness — this will also show how requests are generally built in Japanese.
What does “yamete kudasai” mean and how is the phrase structured
The te-form + ください construction is the basic way to politely ask for something. By changing the verb before ください, you get any request: 待ってください — “please wait”, 見てください — “please look”.
| Japanese | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| やめてください | yamete kudasai | Please stop |
| やめて | yamete | Stopinformal, between close people |
| やめろ | yamero | Stop! (command)harsh, rude; shouted in a fight |
| 止めるやめる | yameru | To stop, to quit (an activity)original verb |
| おやめください | oyame kudasai | Please refrainformal, in announcements and from staff |
| 助けてたすけて | tasukete | Help!if the situation is truly dangerous, this is what you shout |
Three levels of one request
やめろ is a command, appropriate only in danger or a quarrel. やめて is a request to a friend or close person. やめてください is neutral-polite, suitable for strangers. The longer the form, the more polite it is: this is a general rule of Japanese, not a peculiarity of this verb.
- Meaning
- to stop, to cease, stop
- Onyomi
- シ
- Kunyomi
- と.まる、と.める、とど.める、とど.め
- strokes
- 4
止 — the same character appears on road signs 止まれ “stop”. Click “Show stroke order”: four strokes, the first is the vertical on the left.
Where you will hear the phrase and where you should not say it
- Someone is filming you — 撮影はやめてください, “please don’t film”.
- A neighbor is noisy at night — うるさいのでやめてください sounds polite but firm.
- People are pushing on the train — a short やめてください is appropriate and not considered rude.
- What not to do: don’t jokingly say the phrase to unfamiliar Japanese people — because of internet memes, it may be misunderstood.
- In real danger, you don’t shout やめて but 助けて (tasukete) — “help!”.
Not “yamete”, but exactly
“Ya-me-te ku-da-sai”, all syllables are even and short. There is no stress accent as in English: not “yaMEte”, but evenly. The vowel “u” in ください is almost swallowed — it sounds more like “kdasai”, and that is normal in fluent speech.
FAQ
What does the phrase “yamete kudasai” mean?
やめてください — “please stop”. A polite request to stop an action: noise, filming, any behavior.
What is the difference between “yamete” and “yamero”?
やめて — a request on “you”, between close people. やめろ — a harsh command, sounds rude and is only appropriate in a dangerous situation.
How do you write “yamete kudasai” in Japanese?
やめてください in hiragana; with the kanji — 止めてください. In everyday use, it is more often written in kana.
Is it polite to say “yamete kudasai” to a stranger?
Yes, it is a neutral-polite level. For a strict official situation, there is the form おやめください.
Updated: