N4 Commands & Obligations

~なさい: meaning, usage and examples

Q: What does ~なさい mean?

Do... (command). Example: 宿題をしなさい。 (Do your homework.)

Q: How do you form ~なさい?

＜Verb ます-stem＞ + なさい (食べる → 食べなさい / する → しなさい / 来る → 来なさい). On JLPT test pages you will see なさい in the instructions: 選びなさい = choose. The greeting おやすみなさい comes from this form too.

~なさい means: do... (command).

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

How to form it

＜Verb ます-stem＞ + なさい (食たべる → 食たべなさい / する → しなさい / 来くる → 来きなさい)

Examples

宿題しゅくだいをしなさい。
Do your homework.
Nuance note
なさい is what parents and teachers say to children. Said to an adult it sounds condescending.
静しずかにしなさい。
Be quiet.
早はやく起おきなさい。学校がっこうに遅おくれますよ。
Get up now. You'll be late for school.
次つぎの文ぶんを読よみなさい。
Read the following sentence.

When to use it

Gives a clear command: 'do X'. Parents use it with children and teachers use it with students: 早はやく寝ねなさい, 静しずかにしなさい. It also appears in written instructions on tests and in textbooks: 正ただしいものを選えらびなさい 'Choose the correct answer'. The speaker has authority over the listener.

Nuance

Stronger than てください, but softer and more caring than the plain command form (食たべろ). Never use it to a boss, a customer or an older person; children do not use it to parents. In speech it can sound a little strict.

Compare

Compare てください (polite request): 座すわってください is fine to say to anyone, while 座すわりなさい is a command from above. Compare the command form 座すわれ: rough, heard in sports and emergencies. なさい sits between the two.

Tip: On JLPT test pages you will see なさい in the instructions: 選えらびなさい = choose. The greeting おやすみなさい comes from this form too.

Frequently asked questions

What does ~なさい mean?

Do... (command). Example: 宿題しゅくだいをしなさい。 (Do your homework.)

How do you form ~なさい?

＜Verb ます-stem＞ + なさい (食たべる → 食たべなさい / する → しなさい / 来くる → 来きなさい). On JLPT test pages you will see なさい in the instructions: 選えらびなさい = choose. The greeting おやすみなさい comes from this form too.