Sasete Itadaku in Japanese: Humble Permission and When It's Too Much

What the phrase is made of

Sasete itadaku has two parts. The first is the causative form, which you may know from the guide to the Japanese causative: taberu becomes tabesaseru, make or let someone eat. In te-form it becomes tabesasete. The second part is itadaku, the humble verb for receiving something from a person of higher status.

Joined together, the literal sense is I receive from you the favour of letting me do this. That is why the phrase is so polite: it frames your action as something the listener allowed, and thanks them for it at the same time. Keeping that literal meaning in mind is the best guide to when it fits.

How to form it from any verb

Build the causative first, then change the final ru to te and add itadaku. For godan verbs, change the final u sound to the a row and add seru. For ichidan verbs, drop ru and add saseru. Suru becomes saseru and kuru becomes kosaseru.

The result always ends in ~sete itadaku, but only ichidan verbs and suru have the sa. That difference is where most mistakes come from.

Asking permission: ~sasete itadakemasen ka

The request form is the most natural and least controversial use, because you really are asking for permission. Itadakemasen ka, can't I receive, is softer than itadakemasu ka, and both are softer than sasete kudasai.

It is common for leaving early, taking time off, using something that belongs to someone else, joining a meeting, or asking a client for time. Adding a short reason or a cushion word such as mōshiwake nai no desu ga or kyōshuku desu ga makes it smoother.

Sukoshi kangaesasete itadakemasu ka is worth memorising on its own. It is a polite way to buy time before answering an offer, and it is often a gentle signal that the answer may be no. For the broader range of permission phrases, from casual ii? to formal keigo, see the guide to asking permission politely.

Announcing your own actions: ~sasete itadakimasu

As a statement, sasete itadakimasu tells people what you are about to do while presenting it as something they are kindly allowing. You will hear it in meeting openings, speeches, shop notices and emails: jikoshōkai sasete itadakimasu, let me introduce myself; kyō wa kore de shitsurei sasete itadakimasu, I'll take my leave for today.

Japanese language guidance, such as that published by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, has described the form as most appropriate when two conditions are met: the action involves the other person's permission, at least implicitly, and you benefit from or feel grateful for it. Taking a seat at someone's invitation or using a client's room fits well. Announcing your own company's price change fits less well, even though you will see it often.

Why people criticise sasete itadaku

The phrase has a reputation. Commentators sometimes call it sasete itadaku kotoba, and the complaint is not that it is incorrect but that it is used on autopilot. A speech that says hajimesasete itadakimasu, setsumei sasete itadakimasu and owarasete itadakimasu in every other sentence can sound stiff, evasive, or oddly passive.

The deeper issue is responsibility. When a company writes kakaku o kaitei sasete itadakimasu, we are allowed to revise the price, it can sound as if the customer agreed to something they never approved. For that reason some listeners prefer a direct humble form: kaitei itashimasu. Tastes differ, and plenty of people use the phrase without a second thought, but it is worth knowing why it annoys some.

A practical rule: use it when you are truly asking, or when you are genuinely grateful to be allowed. For routine announcements of your own actions, itashimasu, mōshiagemasu or a plain masu form usually sounds cleaner.

The extra sa: sa-ire kotoba

Because sasete itadaku is so familiar as a sound, speakers sometimes add sa where it does not belong. The result is called sa-ire kotoba, words with an inserted sa. Yasumasasete itadakimasu, ikasasete itadakimasu and yomasasete itadakimasu are all common examples, and all are generally considered errors.

The fix is simple: for godan verbs, the causative ends in ~aseru with no second sa. Say the causative on its own first, yasumaseru, and then add te itadakimasu. If the plain causative sounds right, the long form will be right too.

• 休ませていただきます (yasumasete), not 休まさせていただきます
• 行かせていただきます (ikasete), not 行かさせていただきます
• 読ませていただきます (yomasete), not 読まさせていただきます
• やらせていただきます (yarasete), not やらさせていただきます
• 見させていただきます (misasete) is correct, because miru is ichidan

Choosing the right level

Sasete itadaku sits near the top of the politeness scale. In many situations a lighter option sounds more natural, and matching the level to the listener matters more than always choosing the most formal form.

If you are still getting comfortable with humble and honorific verbs in general, the guide to sonkeigo and kenjōgo gives the wider system that sasete itadaku belongs to.