How to Ask Someone to Say It Again in Japanese: もういちどおねがいします
Learn the polite phrase もういちどお願いします to ask someone to repeat themselves, when to ask for slower speech, and what to say if you still do not understand.
When you do not catch what someone said in Japanese, use もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegai shimasu) — one more time, please. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to ask someone to repeat themselves politely instead of pretending you understood.
The phrase to use
Imagine you are ordering at a café and the staff member asks you a question in Japanese. You recognise a few words, but you miss the important part.
Say:
もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegai shimasu) — One more time, please.
もういちど (mou ichido) means “one more time” or “once again.”
おねがいします (onegai shimasu) means “please” in this kind of request.
Together:
もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegai shimasu) — One more time, please.
You do not need a long sentence. In the right situation, this clearly asks the other person to repeat what they just said.
When would you use it?
Use もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegai shimasu) when you heard someone speaking but did not catch enough to understand them.
At a station, you might miss an announcement or an explanation from staff.
In Japanese class, your teacher might say something too quickly.
At work, you might understand most of a sentence but miss one important detail.
In a shop or café, you might simply not recognise the question you were asked.
In any of these situations, you can say:
すみません、もういちどおねがいします (sumimasen, mou ichido onegai shimasu) — Sorry / excuse me, one more time, please.
Adding すみません (sumimasen) makes the interruption a little softer.
This phrase does not mean “Please explain it differently.” It asks for repetition. If the problem is speed rather than hearing the sentence once, a different phrase is more useful.
Examples
Use it when: Ask someone to repeat what they just said.
Use it when: Politely interrupt someone after missing what they said.
Use it when: Directly ask someone to repeat their words.
Use it when: Ask for repetition when you want to make the request explicit.
Use it when: You can hear the Japanese, but the person is speaking too quickly for you.
Use it when: Ask someone both to repeat themselves and to speak more slowly.
Use it when: Ask someone to repeat their name after you did not catch it.
Use it when: Ask someone to repeat a phone number you need to hear accurately.
Make the phrase more useful
The shortest useful version is:
もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegai shimasu) — One more time, please.
If you want to explicitly ask someone to “say” something again:
もういちどいってください (mou ichido itte kudasai) — Please say it again.
If the real problem is that the person is speaking too quickly:
ゆっくりおねがいします (yukkuri onegai shimasu) — Slowly, please.
You can combine the two needs:
もういちど、ゆっくりおねがいします (mou ichido, yukkuri onegai shimasu) — One more time, slowly, please.
That is especially useful for beginner conversations because simply hearing the same fast sentence twice may not solve the problem.
Similar phrases
もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegai shimasu) vs わかりません (wakarimasen)
These solve different problems.
もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegai shimasu) — One more time, please.
Use this when you want to hear the message again.
わかりません (wakarimasen) — I don't understand.
Use this when you do not understand.
You might hear every word clearly and still not understand the meaning. In that case, repetition alone may not help.
もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegai shimasu) vs ゆっくりおねがいします (yukkuri onegai shimasu)
もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegai shimasu) asks for repetition.
ゆっくりおねがいします (yukkuri onegai shimasu) asks for slower speech.
If you need both:
もういちど、ゆっくりおねがいします (mou ichido, yukkuri onegai shimasu) — One more time, slowly, please.
Common mistakes
Asking for repetition when speed is the real problem
If someone spoke too quickly, saying only:
もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegai shimasu) — One more time, please.
may result in hearing the same sentence again at roughly the same speed.
Try:
もういちど、ゆっくりおねがいします (mou ichido, yukkuri onegai shimasu) — One more time, slowly, please.
Assuming repetition and explanation are the same thing
もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegai shimasu) asks someone to repeat something.
It does not necessarily tell them that you do not know what the words mean.
If you still do not understand after hearing it again, say:
わかりません (wakarimasen) — I don't understand.
Giving up after missing one sentence
Beginners often feel pressure to answer immediately even when they did not hear the question properly. Asking for repetition is a normal communication tool.
A simple:
すみません、もういちどおねがいします (sumimasen, mou ichido onegai shimasu) — Sorry, one more time, please.
can keep the conversation going.
Practise saying it
Say these three lines aloud:
もういちどおねがいします。 Mou ichido onegai shimasu. One more time, please.
すみません、もういちどいってください。 Sumimasen, mou ichido itte kudasai. Sorry, please say that again.
もういちど、ゆっくりおねがいします。 Mou ichido, yukkuri onegai shimasu. One more time, slowly, please.
For the substitution exercise, start with:
___ をもういちどおねがいします。 ___ o mou ichido onegai shimasu. ___ one more time, please.
Try:
なまえ (namae) — name.
でんわばんごう (denwa bangou) — phone number.
Then imagine which phrase you need in each situation:
You did not hear the sentence → もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegai shimasu) — One more time, please.
The speaker is too fast → ゆっくりおねがいします (yukkuri onegai shimasu) — Slowly, please.
You need both → もういちど、ゆっくりおねがいします (mou ichido, yukkuri onegai shimasu) — One more time, slowly, please.
For a short role-play:
A: あしたははちじにきてください。 Romaji: Ashita wa hachiji ni kite kudasai. Meaning: Please come at eight tomorrow.
B: すみません、もういちどおねがいします。 Romaji: Sumimasen, mou ichido onegai shimasu. Meaning: Sorry, one more time, please.
A: あしたは、はちじにきてください。 Romaji: Ashita wa, hachiji ni kite kudasai. Meaning: Please come at eight tomorrow.
B: はちじですね。 Romaji: Hachiji desu ne. Meaning: Eight o'clock, right?
Now imagine someone has just spoken too quickly for you. Say in Japanese:
“One more time, slowly, please.”
Answer:
もういちど、ゆっくりおねがいします (mou ichido, yukkuri onegai shimasu) — One more time, slowly, please.
Quick check
Choose the best phrase for each situation.
- You did not catch what someone said.
A. もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegai shimasu)
B. ありがとう (arigatou)
- You can hear the speaker, but they are speaking too quickly.
A. ゆっくりおねがいします (yukkuri onegai shimasu)
B. もういちど (mou ichido)
- You heard the sentence clearly but do not understand its meaning.
A. わかりません (wakarimasen)
B. おはよう (ohayou)
- How do you explicitly say “Please say it again”?
A. もういちどいってください (mou ichido itte kudasai)
B. もういちどいきます (mou ichido ikimasu)
- How do you ask for both repetition and slower speech?
A. もういちど、ゆっくりおねがいします (mou ichido, yukkuri onegai shimasu)
B. ゆっくりわかりません (yukkuri wakarimasen)
Answers
- A. もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegai shimasu) — One more time, please.
- A. ゆっくりおねがいします (yukkuri onegai shimasu) — Slowly, please.
- A. わかりません (wakarimasen) — I don't understand.
- A. もういちどいってください (mou ichido itte kudasai) — Please say it again.
- A. もういちど、ゆっくりおねがいします (mou ichido, yukkuri onegai shimasu) — One more time, slowly, please.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “Say that again, please” in Japanese?
A useful phrase is:
もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegai shimasu) — One more time, please.
You can also explicitly ask someone to say it again:
もういちどいってください (mou ichido itte kudasai) — Please say it again.
How do you ask someone to speak more slowly in Japanese?
Say:
ゆっくりおねがいします (yukkuri onegai shimasu) — Slowly, please.
If you also need them to repeat the sentence:
もういちど、ゆっくりおねがいします (mou ichido, yukkuri onegai shimasu) — One more time, slowly, please.
What does もういちど mean in Japanese?
もういちど (mou ichido) means “one more time” or “once again.”
For example:
もういちどおねがいします (mou ichido onegai shimasu) — One more time, please.
Is もういちどおねがいします polite?
Yes. It is a polite, useful request when you need someone to repeat something.
You can add:
すみません (sumimasen) — excuse me / sorry.
For example:
すみません、もういちどおねがいします (sumimasen, mou ichido onegai shimasu) — Sorry, one more time, please.
What should I say if repeating it does not help?
If you heard the sentence again but still do not understand, say:
わかりません (wakarimasen) — I don't understand.
You can then ask for slower speech:
ゆっくりおねがいします (yukkuri onegai shimasu) — Slowly, please.
Continue learning
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