Marriage Proposal Lines in Japanese : Love is in the air in this edition of Bondlingo Japanese language learning. Today, we’re going to teach you a little bit about Japanese marriage proposal culture as well as some proposal lines to really sweep your loved one off her feet! And if you’re lucky, she may even say yes!
Contents
Marriage Proposal Lines in Japanese
| Japanese | Romaji | English |
| 結婚してください。 | Kekkon shite kudasai. | Will you marry me? |
| これからもずっと一生一緒にいてください。 | Korekara mo zutto isshou issho ni ite kudasai. | Please spend the rest of your life with me. |
| 死ぬまで一緒にいて欲しいんだ。 | Shinu made issho ni ite hoshiin’da. | I want to be with you until the day I die. |
| あなたは俺の一番大切な人です、これからも一生守っていきます。 | Anata wa ore no ichiban taisetsu-na hito desu, korekara mo isshou mamotte ikimasu. | You are the most special person in my life. I will take care of you for as long as I live. |
| 僕から、この指輪を受け取ってくれませんか？結婚してください。 | Boku kara, kono yubiwa wo uketotte kuremasen ka? Kekkon shite kudasai. | Will you take this ring from me? Will you marry me? |
| これからの人生を、僕と共に歩んでくれますか？ | Korekara no jinsei wo, boku to tomo ni ayunde kuremasu ka? | Would you walk together with me down the path of life? |
| 白髪混じりのおじいちゃんになっても、僕のそばにいてくれますか？ | Shiraga majiri no ojii-chan ni natte mo, boku no soba ni ite kuremasu ka? | Would you stay by my side even when I’m a graying old man? |
| 笑顔があふれる幸せな家庭を僕と一緒に築いてください | Egao ga afureru shiawase-na katei wo boku to issho ni kizuite kudasai. | Let’s build a family of joyful smiles together. |
| 俺についてきて欲しい。お前を一生幸せにしてやる。 | Ore ni tsuite kite hoshii. Omae wo isshou shiawase ni shite yaru. | I want you to follow me. I’ll show you a lifetime of happiness. |
| 愛しています。結婚してくれますか？ | Aishite imasu. Kekkon shite kuresmasu ka? | I love you. Would you marry me? |
The Right Time and Place to Propose
So, you’ve met the girl of your dreams. She’s smart, beautiful, funny…and Japanese! Cross-cultural marriages are commonplace in our modern globalized society, but one hurdle that remains in place is…you guessed it…cultural differences!
When you think of a marriage proposal, what’s the first image that pops into your mind? If you’re like most people from western countries, you’ll think of a man and a woman dressed to the nines at a fancy restaurant. The man gets up from his chair, goes to the woman, and gets down on one knee in front of her. The entire restaurant falls silent and turns to see what is going on. The man takes a ring out of his pocket, slips it onto the woman’s finger, and says, “Will you marry me?” The woman takes a deep breath, looks into his eyes, and says, “Yes!” The crowd cheers, and everyone drinks a glass of champagne.
This kind of grand public gesture was definitely not the norm among common people in the olden days of Japan. Proposing in front of a large group of people like that goes against the humble nature of the Japanese. And, plus, what if she says no? How would you save face from something like that? Japanese men tended to discuss getting married with their girlfriends first in order to find out if she was even interested. If she was, then they could move on to the next step of him proposing. However, the proposal in itself was much less direct than just asking, “Will you marry me?” It was more along the lines of this popular go-to phrase:
僕のために毎朝味噌汁を作ってくれませんか？
Boku no tame ni mai asa miso-shiru wo tsukutte kuremasen ka?
Would you make miso soup for me every morning?
Sounds like they wanted a live-in chef more than a wife! Be that as it may, this phrase was supposed to imply that the man wanted to wake up in the same house as the woman every morning…and by that he meant he wanted to get married.
This was also a common way of proposing marriage:
あなたに、僕と一緒のお墓に入ってほしいです
Anata ni, boku to issho ni o-haka ni haitte hoshii desu.
I’m I want to be buried with you in the same grave.
No, this is not a quote from the Addams Family. It was supposed to imply that in order to be buried in the same grave they’d have to be family first.
In other words he wanted to marry her.
Times have changed, however. These days it’s not uncommon for a Japanese man to propose to the woman he wants to marry in the same way men in the west do. The culture isn’t as rigid as it once was, and the woman might actually prefer that her western boyfriend propose to her like in a Julia Roberts movie.
So, when is the right time and place to propose? Well, one tradition that hasn’t changed much is the importance of involving the family in the decision. It’s a good idea to meet her parents before proposing and asking their permission. Once you get their approval, the sky is the limit! Show her how special she is in your life. Write her a song on the guitar, and propose in the park. Get a nice table at a fancy restaurant and hide a ring in the dessert. Just don’t forget to get down on that knee before you pop the question!
Japanese Proposal Lines
The main phrase here is 結婚してください (Kekkon shite kudasai, Please marry me). A more formal way of saying it would be 結婚してくれませんか? (Kekkon shite kuremasen ka?, Would you marry me?) This is your go-to phrase if you’re at the restaurant, on your knee in front of everyone, and you forget your line. At least by saying, “Kekkon shite kudasai” everyone will know what you’re doing.
Now that you know how to propose to your Japanese girlfriend, it’s time to get out there and do it! And, for any women reading this, look for these phrases if your Japanese boyfriend pops the question to you.
Good luck!
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