なさい
- 1A spoken command or instruction from someone with authority, such as a parent or teacher, to a child or subordinate.Ex. 1
- 2An instruction in written directions, such as test questions or worksheets (e.g. 次の質問に答えなさい).
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Typically used by parents to children, by teachers to students, and in exam or textbook instructions. It is firmer than てください but softer than a plain imperative such as 起きろ. It assumes authority over the listener, so it is directed downward: toward a stranger, it appears when the speaker takes a supervising or protective role (危ないから離れなさい) or deliberately asserts authority in a confrontation (静かにしなさい).
Do not use なさい to address teachers, bosses, customers, or anyone of higher status; use てください or a more polite request instead.
Note that set phrases like おやすみなさい and おかえりなさい are fixed greetings, not commands.
Learners should not confuse the casual contraction 食べな (ます-stem + な, 'eat') with the prohibition 食べるな (dictionary form + な, 'don't eat').
- てくださいN5てください attaches to the verb's て form and is a polite request or instruction that even shop staff can use with customers; it can also pair with どうぞ to urge someone not to hold back. When なさい expresses a command, it carries a superior-to-subordinate tone and cannot be used with customers (except in set greetings).
- なN5な attaches to the verb's dictionary form to express prohibition ('don't...'), the exact opposite of なさい, which tells someone to do something, and it sounds rougher and more direct. Note that 食べな is a contraction of 食べなさい, while 食べるな is the prohibition.
- たまえN2たまえ attaches the same way and is close to なさい only in the sense of a superior-to-subordinate command, but it is old-fashioned male speech with a stronger sense of hierarchy, often paired with 君, and mostly seen in novels and film/TV. Test instructions and greetings cannot use たまえ.
- ほうがいいN5ほうがいい is advice or a suggestion, and can also express a preference in a comparison; なさい is a superior-to-subordinate command or a test instruction. ほうがいい usually attaches to the た form or ない form, while なさい attaches to the ます form minus ます, so they cannot be swapped.
- べきN3べき expresses that something should be the case by reason or common sense, used for assertions, advice, or as a modifier; なさい is a direct superior-to-subordinate command or a test instruction. べき attaches to the dictionary form, while なさい attaches to the ます form minus ます, so they generally cannot be swapped.
Unlike polite てください, なさい is a command from someone with authority, and unlike prohibitive な (dictionary form + な), it tells someone to do something rather than not to. たまえ is an older, masculine command from a superior, while ほうがいい gives advice and べき states what one ought to do; neither is a direct order.
