Instructions: 〜なさい
Verb stem + なさい
Stem + なさい: a calm order from someone with authority (parents, teachers, exam instructions). To ask politely: 〜て ください.
In short
Stem + なさい: a gentle order, but one that comes from above. It's the voice of parents, teachers and exam instructions: 早く 寝なさい (go to bed), 正しい 答えを 選びなさい (choose the correct answer). It's never used towards an equal or a superior.
- 早く 寝なさい。はやく ねなさい。Off to bed, now.
- 正しい 答えを 選びなさい。ただしい こたえを えらびなさい。Choose the correct answer.
- ごはんの 前に 手を 洗いなさい。ごはんの まえに てを あらいなさい。Wash your hands before eating.
- ちゃんと やさいも 食べなさい。ちゃんと やさいも たべなさい。Eat your vegetables too.
The basics
なさい comes from an old polite verb (なさる, “to do”). It keeps a certain dignity: it isn't a blunt order like the imperative. But it is an order, given by someone with authority: a mother to her child, a teacher to pupils, an exam paper to the candidate.
Choose the correct answer.
- adjective
- noun
- verb
- grammatical form
- 静かに しなさい。しずかに しなさい。Quiet, please. (in class)
How to form it
Take the stem, i.e. the ます-form without ます, and add なさい. No exceptions.
| Verb | ます-form | With なさい |
|---|---|---|
| 書く | 書きます | 書きなさい |
| 読む | 読みます | 読みなさい |
| 食べる | 食べます | 食べなさい |
| する | します | しなさい |
| 来る | 来ます | 来なさい（きなさい） |
- 次の 文を 日本語で 書きなさい。つぎの ぶんを にほんごで かきなさい。Write the following sentence in Japanese.
- ちょっと こっちへ 来なさい。ちょっと こっちへ きなさい。Come over here a moment.
Who says it, to whom?
Always from the top down: parents → children, teacher → pupils, written instructions → reader. Between equals, it sounds as if you're talking to a child. Towards a superior, it's unthinkable.
For a polite request, use 〜て ください. The imperative (食べろ) is even harsher than なさい.
| Form | Who's speaking | Tone |
|---|---|---|
| 食べろ | someone angry, blunt command | very harsh |
| 食べなさい | parent, teacher, instruction | authority, but calm |
| 食べて | someone close | casual |
| 食べて ください | anyone | polite request |
- どうぞ、たくさん 食べて ください。どうぞ、たくさん たべて ください。Please, help yourself to as much as you like.
おやすみなさい is not an order
おやすみなさい (“good night”) and おかえりなさい (“welcome home”) contain なさい, but they're warm set phrases that you say to anyone, even a superior.
- おやすみなさい。また あした。おやすみなさい。また あした。Good night. See you tomorrow.
Common mistakes
- Thinking なさい is polite because it looks it: it's an order, never to be used with an equal or a superior.
- Attaching なさい to the dictionary form (“読むなさい”): it's the stem, 読みなさい.
- Taking おやすみなさい for an order: it's a set polite phrase.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N4 point is on the Nagahori Tsurumi-ryokuchi Line (Health) of the Osaka subway.