How to Say Please Speak Slowly in Japanese: Yukkuri and Mō Ichido

Yukkuri hanashite kudasai: the core request

Yukkuri means slowly, hanashite is the te-form of hanasu, to speak, and kudasai makes it a polite request. Together they are clear, short and understood everywhere, from a train station counter to a doctor's surgery. Adding sumimasen in front gets the person's attention and softens the request.

Mō sukoshi, a little more, is worth adding. Mō sukoshi yukkuri asks for a bit slower rather than slow, which sounds more natural and less like you are criticising the way they talk. With friends, yukkuri itte or yukkuri hanashite is enough.

Explaining why you are asking

A short reason makes the request feel natural and usually gets a better response. People who know you are learning often switch to clearer pronunciation, shorter sentences and more gestures without being asked. One sentence is enough; there is no need to apologise repeatedly.

Use nanode, so, to link the reason to the request. This also tells the listener what level to aim for, which is more useful than a vague sorry. If you want to explain that you do not speak Japanese at all, there is a separate guide on saying I don't speak Japanese; the lines here assume you can follow slower, simpler speech.

Mō ichido: asking for a repeat

Sometimes the speed was fine but you missed it. Mō ichido onegaishimasu, once more please, is the most useful line here, polite enough for any situation and short enough to say in a rush. With friends, mō ikkai is the casual version, often with itte, say it.

Avoid a bare nani? or e? with people you speak politely to. Among friends these are normal, but with staff or colleagues they can sound abrupt. Sumimasen, or a questioning hai?, is a softer way to signal that you did not catch something.

Kikitoremasen deshita, I couldn't catch it, is more precise than wakarimasen, I don't understand. It tells the other person the problem was hearing, so they repeat rather than rephrase.

Asking for just the part you missed

Asking for the whole sentence again can be tiring for both sides, especially with long explanations. It is often better to point to the part you lost. You can repeat the last words you caught and ask what came after, or ask for a specific item such as a time, a number or a name.

Numbers, times and platform names are where mishearing causes the most trouble. Repeating them back is a normal and polite way to check, and staff will usually confirm with hai or correct you.

Kantan na kotoba de: asking for easier words

Speed is not always the problem. Staff, officials and doctors often use set phrases and formal vocabulary that learners have not met yet. Asking for easier words is perfectly acceptable and often works better than asking for a repeat of the same difficult sentence.

Kantan na kotoba de means in simple words, and yasashii Nihongo de means in easy Japanese. Yasashii Nihongo is also a recognised style of simplified Japanese used by some local governments and organisations for residents who are still learning, so the phrase is widely understood. If a single word blocks you, ask about just that word.

Keep the English question as a last resort; many people are not confident in English, and asking in Japanese first keeps the conversation going and gives you better practice.

Writing it down: addresses, kanji and numbers

For addresses, names, dates, prices and instructions, seeing it written can be faster than any number of repeats. Most people are happy to jot something down or show it on a screen. If kanji is the barrier, you can ask for hiragana or for the reading.

On your phone, you can also ask the person to type it, or show them the notes app. Pointing to the screen and saying koko ni kaite moraemasu ka, could you write it here, is clear even when your spoken Japanese is running out.

Checking you understood

Once someone has slowed down and simplified for you, confirm the key point before you walk away. Repeating it in your own words and adding ~tte koto desu ka, you mean that, is a natural way to check. It shows you listened and gives the other person a chance to correct any misunderstanding.

Finish with thanks. A short arigatō gozaimasu, tasukarimashita, thank you, that really helped, leaves a good impression and makes people happy to help the next learner too.

Which request to use when

Matching the request to the problem saves time. If you choose the wrong one, the other person may simply repeat the same fast sentence, or rephrase something you had actually heard perfectly.

If the problem is the reverse, that people cannot understand you, the fixes are different, and there is a separate guide for when they do not understand your Japanese.