Mou Ichido Onegai Shimasu: A Common Phrase for “Pardon me?” :One problem Japanese learners run into when first using their newly acquired language skills is understanding native speakers. It’s not necessarily that the vocabulary or grammar they use is too difficult, it’s mostly because they speak so quickly! Today, we’re going to learn the common phrase 「もう一度お願いします」(“Mou ichido onegai shimasu”), which means, “Could you repeat that, please?”
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Mou Ichido Onegai Shimasu: A Common Phrase for “Pardon me?”
Before we get into example situations for using “Mou ichido onegai shimasu,” let’s look at the individual words so that we can get a better understanding of this phrase and extract from it more information that we can use in our other Japanese lessons.
Mou
Mou is a Japanese adverb meaning “further; more; again; another; the other.” In the case of “Mou ichido onegai shimasu,” it means “again” or “more.”
Mou is used when you want just a little bit more of something or when you’re talking about just a small amount. For example, if you’re at a bar and want to order one more glass of beer (one being a small amount), then you say this:
ビールをもう１杯ください。
Biiru wo mou ippai kudasai.
I’ll have one more glass of beer, please.
Sometimes you’re drinking something else, like a vodka and tonic, and the bartender is mixing the drinks too weakly. If you want them to add a little bit more vodka (a little bit being a small amount), you say this:
ウオッカをもう少し入れてもいいですか？
Uokka wo mou sukoshi irete mo ii desu ka?
Could you please put a little more vodka in there?
Many times in Japan if you’re waiting for something like an order of food or a table at a restaurant, a staff member will tell you this:
もう少しお待ちください。
Mou sukoshi o-machi kudasai.
Could you wait just a little bit longer?
If Christmas Day is just around the corner, and you want to get some kids excited, you can say this:
クリスマスまでもうあと3日残っているよ！
Kurisumasu made mou ato mikka nokotte iru yo!
There are only three days left until Christmas!
In the case of “Mou ichido onegai shimasu,” the mou indicates you only want someone to repeat what they’ve said “once more.”
Ichido
Ichido, when written in Japanese, looks like this:
一度
The first kanji is “ichi,” which means “one.” The second kanji is “do,” which is a Japanese counter word for frequency in occasion. In this case, “ichido” means “once again,” or “one more time.”
Other than “one time,” the word “do” can be used in a variety of ways. Here are some examples:
今度
Kondo
Next time
二度目
Ni do me
The second time
何度も
Nan do mo
Many times; quite often
30度
San-juu do
Thirty degrees Celsius
Onegai Shimasu
When written in Japanese, “onegai shimasu” looks like this:
お願いします
The kanji in お願い (onegai) means “petition; request; vow; wish; hope.”
You’ve probably learned the word “kudasai,” which means “please.” Well, “onegai shimasu” is a more polite version of “kudasai.” It is used when asking a favor of someone. In the case of “Mou ichido onegai shimasu,” you are asking the person to do you a favor by repeating what they just said because you couldn’t understand it. Using “onegai shimasu” shows that you understand that what you ask of them is a bit troublesome.
Another way Japanese people use “onegai shimasu” is when they introduce themselves to an individual or a group for the first time. This is the common phrase, “Yoroshiku onegai shimasu.” The reason they use this phrase is because they hope to have a good relationship with whomever they’re introducing themselves to, and they want this relationship to last well on into the future. This is quite a tall order but integral to Japanese culture. This is why “onegai shimasu” is used.
The Japanese also say “Yoroshiku onegai shimasu” when they want someone (at work, for example) to help them out with a task or contact them again.
“I’ll be back next spring to discuss further plans for the Toshiba account. Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!”
In this case, the phrase means, “I thank you for your cooperation/help.”
If you have a favor to ask of a friend or acquaintance (which takes considerable time and effort), you can say this:
私はお願いがあります。
Watashi wa onegai ga arimasu.
I have a favor to ask of you.
Mou Ichido Onegai Shimasu
This brings us back to our original phrase. If you’re talking to a Japanese person and they’re speaking too quickly or they’re mumbling and you can’t understand them, you can say this:
もう一度お願いします。
Mou ichido onegai shimasu.
Could you repeat that, please?
If you want to ask them to repeat something specific (e.g. the name of a restaurant) then you say what you want them to repeat first, followed by the particle を (wo), followed by today’s phrase. Like this:
レストランの名前をもう一度お願いします。
Resutoran no namae wo mou ichido onegai shimasu.
Could you repeat the name of the restaurant again, please?
Now that you have a new Japanese phrase under your belt, it’s time to get out there and practice! If you’re speaking with someone in Japanese, and you don’t understand what they’re saying, instead of saying, “Pardon me?” in English, try saying, “Mou ichido onegai shimasu!”