Technical Japanese #08 — How to Ask Again Safely in Japanese
In a Japanese plant the most dangerous mistake is not "my Japanese is weak". It is pretending to have understood — nodding はい when the instruction was not clear, and then getting a whole lot wrong. In Japanese manufacturing culture, asking again to be sure is what a responsible person does, not a sign of weakness. This post gives you the fixed phrases, so you never have to guess at an instruction that touches safety or quality.
Four situations where you MUST ask again
- Anything involving safety — electricity, moving machinery, chemicals, heavy loads.
- Anything involving a quality number — tolerance, quantity, a setting. One wrong digit spoils the lot.
- When you did not hear it clearly, or understood only part of it. Do not assemble the meaning by guesswork.
- A job you have never done before. Confirm the procedure and the points to watch.
Phrases for asking again and confirming
| Purpose | Japanese | Reading | Note |
|---|
| Please say that again | もう一度お願いします | もういちど mō ichido onegai shimasu | Polite, always usable |
| Please speak slowly | ゆっくり話してください | yukkuri hanashite kudasai | When it comes too fast |
| What does this mean? | これはどういう意味ですか | dō iu imi desu ka | For a word or a symbol |
| Is my understanding right? | この理解で合っていますか | atte imasu ka | Checking how you read it |
| Is it right to do it this way? | こうやって、いいですか | kō yatte, ii desu ka | Before you act |
| May I enter here? | ここは入ってもいいですか | haitte mo ii desu ka | Confirming an area is safe |
| Which one? | どれですか | dore desu ka | When the object is unclear |
| How many? | いくつですか | ikutsu desu ka | Confirming a quantity |
| One moment please | ちょっと待ってください | chotto matte kudasai | While you check |
| I did not understand well | よく分かりませんでした | yoku wakarimasen deshita | Honest, not pretending |
Repeat it back — 復唱 (fukushō)
Instead of a bare はい, repeat the content so that both of you are certain. Closing with 〜ですね turns your sentence into a confirmation and catches a mishearing on the spot.
- Team leader: この部品を10個、右の箱に入れてください。 — Put ten of these parts in the right-hand box.
- You: はい、この部品を10個、右の箱ですね。 — Yes: ten of these, right-hand box, correct?
Always 復唱 a number: 0.05ミリですね？ — 0.05 mm, correct? It is the cheapest error shield there is.
Reporting back once you have done it
| Situation | Japanese | Romaji |
|---|
| It is finished | 終わりました | owarimashita |
| I have checked it | 確認しました | kakunin shimashita |
| There is a small problem | ちょっと問題があります | chotto mondai ga arimasu |
| This one is broken | これは壊れています | kowarete imasu |
| I got this far | ここまでできました | koko made dekimashita |
| May I ask you something? | ちょっといいですか | chotto ii desu ka |
Anything abnormal — a value out of range, a defect you found — is reported immediately. The safe opener for bad news is すみません、報告があります。 (Excuse me, I have something to report.)
A model exchange — taking on a new job safely, start to finish
- Team leader: この治具でA部品を組み立ててください。 — Assemble part A with this jig.
- You, confirming the object: すみません、このA部品ですね。 — This part A, correct?
- Team leader: はい、そうです。
- You, asking about risk: 気をつけることはありますか。 — Is there anything I should watch out for?
- Team leader: トルクは0.5です。 — Torque is 0.5.
- You, repeating the number: トルク0.5ですね。分かりました。
- Afterwards: A部品、10個できました。確認をお願いします。 — Ten of part A are done. Please check them.
None of that needs complex grammar. It is four fixed moves: confirm the object, ask about the risk, repeat the number, report when finished.
Mistakes to avoid
| Mistake | Why it matters |
|---|
| Nodding はい before you understand | はい usually means "I am listening", not "I understand and agree" |
| Staying quiet so as not to bother anyone | Staying quiet and then getting it wrong is the real bother; one question saves a lot |
| Asking too broadly ("分かりません") | The other person has no idea where to start — ask specifically: この数字ですか？ |
| Not repeating numbers back | Tolerances and quantities must be read back: 0.05ミリですね？ |
Hear it, then act — quick self-check
The team leader speaks. What do you say? Answers below.
- You did not catch the torque figure.
- You are given a job you have never done.
- You heard 10個 but you are not certain.
- You find a cracked part.
<details><summary>Answers</summary>
- すみません、もう一度お願いします。
- 気をつけることはありますか。
- 10個ですね。 — repeat the number back.
- すみません、報告があります。これは壊れています。 — report it at once.
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Quick recall
- Do not nod automatically — はい does not mean "understood and agreed".
- Five phrases that rescue you: もう一度お願いします · ゆっくりお願いします · どういう意味ですか · こうやっていいですか · よく分かりませんでした.
- Always repeat a number back. Report a small problem early rather than letting it grow.
- Politeness level: keep 〜です・〜ます and すみません with a superior; short forms are fine between colleagues.
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Next in the series: 報連相 HORENSO · reading safety signs · shop-floor action verbs.
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