Conclusion
Yamete kudasai is a polite yet authoritative way to command someone to stop doing something. The phrase can be used by both men and women.
The second part of the phrase, the word “Kudasai” or “please,” is a way to add politeness to the phrase. However, without it, “yamete” can still be used to mean “stop” or “quit” among peers or friends.
You can also use yamero for a more authoritative command. It basically carries the exact same meaning, but as an order rather than a request.
Despite the politeness added by “Kudasai,” it’s not acceptable to use “yamete kudasai” with a taxi driver for instance. It’ll be aggressive for this situation.
If you plan to travel to Japan, make sure to learn how and when to say such common Japanese sentences in order to avoid awkward situations!
What Does Yamete Mean?
The verb Yamete (やめて) is derived from the verb Yameru (やめる). More precisely, Yamete is the imperative form of Yameru. It’s a command or an order that means to quit or stop something you’re doing.
The word Yamete (やめて) alone can mean “stop it,” which is a common phrase among friends and family. It’s a colloquial expression without the added politeness of the word Kudasai (ださい).
Here are some examples of how the verbs yameru (やめる) or yamete (やめて) are used in everyday language.
タバコをやめるのはむずかしい。
This sentence reads as “Tabaco wo yameru no wa muzukashi.” It means “To stop smoking is difficult.”
タバコを吸うのをやめてください
This one can be read as “Tabako wo suu no wo yamete kudasai.” It’s more of a polite order or request saying, “stop smoking, please.”
The sense of command in this expression comes from the verb yamete (やめて). Moreover, the politeness in the request comes from the word Kudasai (ださい).
Alternative Sentences to “Yamete Kudasai”
In Japanese, it’s also common to add “yamete” to other words and get a meaning close to that of “yamete kudasai.”
Kureru vs. Kure
The phrase “やめてくれる?”, read as “Yamete kureru?” means something close to “could you knock it off?” or “could you just quit it?”
The tone of “Yamete kureru?” is neutral and can be said among friends, peers, or even strangers if you don’t want to be very polite.
Moreover, you can change the question form of the phrase into an assertion when you say “やめてくれ” or “Yamete kure,” which means “just quit” or “knock it off.”
This shortened version is considered a tough way to ask a person to stop something. It’s a relatively assertive order that’s fairly masculine in tone.
Keep in mind that you shouldn’t use “Yamete Kure” (やめてくれ) with strangers, older people, teachers, or bosses. The bottom line is that you shouldn’t say it if you want to be polite.
More Phrases
For a nicer and even softer tone, you can add “chodai” after yamete to give it a child-like sense. You can say something like “やめてちょうだい,” read as “Yamete chodai,” which roughly translates into “give it a rest.”
Moreover, there are other ways to soften the tone of this phrase, such as using “やめてもらいたい,” read as “Yamete moraitai.” It means something like, “I would like you to stop this.”
Another way is to say “やめてもらえますか” or “Yamete moraemasu ka,” which means “Could you stop that for me?”
In addition, you can say “やめてほしい,” read as “Yamete hoshii.” It translates as “I want you to stop that.”
What’s the Difference between Yamete and Yamero?
Generally speaking, Yamero is more assertive than yamete. Therefore, if you use it, you’re giving an absolute order to stop doing something.
Perhaps that’s why yamero is more associated with men, as men are typically more forceful than women.
However, this doesn’t mean that the word yamete or yamero are restricted to one gender. Both men and women can freely use both words, depending on the situation.
Moreover, being less assertive doesn’t make yamete weak. However, it’s closer to a request, while yamero implies more authority than yamete.
In addition, you can actually tone down the commanding effect in “yamete kudasai” by attaching “yo” to its end. When you say “Yamete Kudasai Yo,” you’re simply telling a casual acquaintance to “knock it off.”
Here’s a list of some situations to use Yamero and Yamete.
1. Sentences With “Yamero”
話をやめろ
This sentence can be read as “Hanashi wo yamero,” and it’s an assertive command meaning “stop talking.”
やめろ!, 黙れ!
Read as “Yamero! Damare!”, this command means something to the effect of “shut up” or “zip it.”
2. Sentences With “Yamete”
冗談はやめて。
You can read this as “Jyodan wa yamete,” which means something along the lines of “quit joking.”
怒鳴るのはやめて
This can be read as “Donaru no wa yamete.” It’s a command to the effect of “quit yelling.” However, it’s not as authoritative as the ones with “yamero.”
What Is the Meaning of Yamete (やめて) When Used with Kudasai (ださい)?
The closest English word in meaning to Kudasai (ださい) is “please.” Therefore, it’s considered more polite to add “Kudasai” (ださい) to the phrase.
However, just like the word “please,” Kudasai (ださい) can sometimes give ambiguous connotations. The meaning of the entire phrase Yamete Kudasai (やめて ださい) depends on how it’s said. An assertive tone can give a procedural or authoritative impression.
In some cases, the phrase Yamete Kudasai (やめて ださい) can mean something along the lines of “this isn’t allowed” or “refrain, please.”
Here’s a list of phrases with such an assertive or authoritative tone:
廊下での立ち話はやめてください。
This sentence can be read as “rōka de no tachibanashi wa yamete kudasai.” This roughly means “please refrain from standing around in the hallway talking.”
ここでタバコを吸うのはやめてください。
You can read this sentence as “koko de tabako o suu no wa yamete kudasai.” It means something like, “Refrain from smoking in this area, please.”
飲食物の持ち込みはやめてください。
Read as “inshokubutsu no mochikomi wa yamete kudasai”, this sentence translates as “food and drinks from outside are not allowed.”
