How to Say “Let’s…” in Japanese: ～ましょう for Beginners

You are with a friend, it is getting late, and you want to say “let’s go.” Japanese does not add a separate word for “let’s.” It changes the end of the verb.

The short answer

Use ～ましょう (mashou) to suggest or confirm doing an action together. In English, it often means “let’s…”.

1. 行きましょうIkimashou.Let’s go.
2. 食べましょうTabemashou.Let’s eat.
3. 日本語を勉強しましょうNihongo o benkyou shimashou.Let’s study Japanese.

You usually do not need a separate word for “we”. The ending and the situation make the shared suggestion clear.

Make the ～ましょう form

If you know the polite ～ます (masu) form, replace ます with ましょう.

Start with familiar verbs such as 飲む (nomu, drink), 見る (miru, watch or see), and 勉強 (benkyou, study).

1. 飲みます → 飲みましょうNomimasu → nomimashoudrink → let’s drink
2. 見ます → 見ましょうMimasu → mimashouwatch / see → let’s watch / see
3. 勉強します → 勉強しましょうBenkyou shimasu → benkyou shimashoustudy → let’s study

Only the ending moves: ます becomes ましょう, and everything before it stays the same.

Do not keep ます and add ましょう. 食べますましょう is incorrect; use 食べましょう (tabemashou).

Everyday examples

Practise the pattern with ordinary words such as コーヒー (koohii, coffee), 映画 (eiga, movie), 明日 (ashita, tomorrow), and the verbs 休む (yasumu, rest) and 話す (hanasu, talk).

1. コーヒーを飲みましょうKoohii o nomimashou.Let’s have coffee.
2. ちょっと休みましょうChotto yasumimashou.Let’s take a short break.
3. 映画を見ましょうEiga o mimashou.Let’s watch a movie.
4. 明日、話しましょうAshita, hanashimashou.Let’s talk tomorrow.
5. いっしょに行きましょうIssho ni ikimashou.Let’s go together.

Add a time, place or いっしょに (issho ni, together) before the verb when it helps.

Here the place, カフェで, sits before the verb, and the suggestion still ends in ましょう.

～ましょう vs ～ませんか

Both forms can involve a shared activity, but they do different jobs.

～ましょう directly proposes the activity or confirms that you will do it together.

～ませんか asks whether the other person would like to join, so it gives them a clearer opening to accept or decline.

A common exchange is:

1. いっしょに行きませんかIssho ni ikimasen ka.Would you like to go together?
2. いいですね。行きましょうIi desu ne. Ikimashou.That sounds good. Let’s go.

The invitation uses ～ませんか, and the reply accepts it with ～ましょう. The two forms work together in one short conversation.

～ましょう vs ～たいです

～ましょう suggests a shared action. ～たいです (tai desu) describes what the speaker wants to do.

1. 日本に行きましょうNihon ni ikimashou.Let’s go to Japan.
2. 日本に行きたいですNihon ni ikitai desu.I want to go to Japan.

Both sentences are about going to Japan. The first invites someone to go with you; the second only says what you want.

Common beginner mistakes

• Using ～ましょう for an action only you will do. 食べましょう means “Let’s eat,” while 食べます can mean “I eat” or “I will eat.”
• Saying 食べますましょう. Replace ます with ましょう: 食べましょう.
• Using ～ましょう when you mean “I want to…”. Use ～たいです for your own desire.
• Treating ～ましょう as the only invitation form. ～ませんか is often better when you are asking whether someone wants to join.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “let’s” in Japanese?

A common polite pattern is ～ましょう (mashou). Japanese changes the verb ending rather than adding a separate word exactly like English “let’s”.

Do I need いっしょに with ～ましょう?

No. いっしょに (issho ni, together) is optional. It makes the shared meaning explicit, but 食べましょう already works as “Let’s eat” in the right context.

Does ～ましょう mean “I will”?

Not in this beginner pattern. It normally proposes, confirms or encourages an action involving the listener. Use the ordinary ～ます form for a simple polite statement about what you do or will do.

Practise ～ましょう

Say it aloud

Say each line aloud, then replace the action with one of your own.

1. 行きましょうIkimashou.Let’s go.
2. いっしょに食べましょうIssho ni tabemashou.Let’s eat together.
3. ちょっと休みましょうChotto yasumimashou.Let’s take a short break.

Try the pattern いっしょに ___ ましょう (issho ni ___ mashou): “Let’s ___ together.” Use 食べ (tabe), 飲み (nomi), 勉強し (benkyou shi), or 話し (hanashi).

Quick quiz

1. What does 行きましょう (ikimashou) mean?
2. Change 食べます (tabemasu) into “Let’s eat.”
3. How do you say “Let’s study Japanese”?
4. Which means “I want to go”: 行きましょう or 行きたいです?
5. Which form asks more clearly whether someone would like to join: ～ましょう or ～ませんか?

Answers

1. Let’s go.
2. 食べましょう (tabemashou).
3. 日本語を勉強しましょう (nihongo o benkyou shimashou).
4. 行きたいです (ikitai desu).
5. ～ませんか (masen ka).

Keep this in mind

Replace ます with ましょう to suggest or confirm doing something together. Use ～ませんか when you want to ask whether someone would like to join, and ～たいです when you only mean what you want to do yourself.

Continue learning

Build more everyday action words with the YapaneseAI vocabulary library. If the Japanese examples are still hard to read, practise with the hiragana and katakana charts.