なさる is the 尊敬語 (honorific) of する ("to do"). Because Japanese builds thousands of verbs as noun ＋ する (勉強する, 予約する, 心配する…), なさる is a master key — swap する for なさる and the whole compound is honorified. This page is the paradigm reference: the complete conjugation in one table, the two irregular slots isolated, and the trap that the imperative なさい points downward. The usage deep-dive — the どうなさいましたか idiom, the X になさる choice pattern — is on the なさる: Honorific Do page; here we drill the forms.
The class it belongs to
なさる is one of the five ラ行 special honorific verbs — いらっしゃる, おっしゃる, なさる, くださる, ござる — grouped on the -aru honorifics overview. Each conjugates as an ordinary 五段 verb except in the ます-stem, which takes an irregular -い- (なさいます) instead of -り- (×なさります). Like くださる, なさる also has a special imperative, なさい, in place of the 五段-regular ×なされ — but with a register twist that makes it the most misunderstood form on the page.
The full paradigm
| Form (Japanese term) | なさる | Reading | Regular? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dictionary (辞書形) | なさる | nasaru | — |
| Polite (ます形) | なさいます | nasaimasu | irregular -い- |
| Polite past | なさいました | nasaimashita | irregular -い- |
| Polite negative | なさいません | nasaimasen | irregular -い- |
| Negative (ない形) | なさらない | nasaranai | regular 五段 |
| Past negative | なさらなかった | nasaranakatta | regular 五段 |
| Past (た形) | なさった | nasatta | regular 五段 (促音便) |
| te-form (て形) | なさって | nasatte | regular 五段 (促音便) |
| Conditional (仮定形・ば) | なされば | nasareba | regular 五段 |
| Imperative (命令形) | なさい | nasai | irregular (downward) |
| Polite imperative | なさいませ | nasaimase | formal / service |
なさいます — the everyday form
The polite form you actually use is なさいます. A regular 五段 on なさ‑ would give ×なさります; that form is wrong. The り collapses to い before ます, exactly as in くださいます and おっしゃいます.
社長は毎朝ジムで運動なさいます。
shachō wa maiasa jimu de undō nasaimasu
The president works out at the gym every morning. (polite なさいます, honorifying 運動する)
部長は先週、大きな決断をなさいました。
buchō wa senshū, ōkina ketsudan o nasaimashita
The department head made a big decision last week. (polite past なさいました)
お客様がご予約なさった時間に、お席をご用意いたします。
o-kyakusama ga go-yoyaku nasatta jikan ni, o-seki o go-yōi itashimasu
We'll have your table ready at the time you reserved. (past なさった + humble いたす about our own action)
The te-form, past, negative, and conditional are regular 五段
The te-form is なさって, the past なさった (both 促音便), the negative stem なさら〜, and the conditional なされば — all textbook 五段. These carry the polite requests and reasoning of everyday service and business speech.
どうぞ、こちらでごゆっくりなさってください。
dōzo, kochira de go-yukkuri nasatte kudasai
Please, make yourself comfortable here / take your time. (te-form なさって + ください)
あまりご無理をなさらないでください。
amari go-muri o nasaranai de kudasai
Please don't overexert yourself. (negative stem なさら〜 + ないで)
先生がそうなさるなら、私もそのようにいたします。
sensei ga sō nasaru nara, watashi mo sono yō ni itashimasu
If that's how the teacher will do it, I'll do the same. (dictionary なさる, with humble いたす for my own doing)
部長がサインをなされば、手続きは完了です。
buchō ga sain o nasareba, tetsuzuki wa kanryō desu
Once the department head signs, the procedure is complete. (conditional なされば)
The imperative なさい — a downward command, not a courtesy
Here is the trap the whole page exists to flag. The imperative is なさい (the -い- again, not ×なされ). But unlike ください — which is a deferential imperative you can aim at a superior — なさい is a soft downward command: a parent to a child, a teacher to a pupil. It is gentler than the blunt しろ, yet it flows from a superior down to an inferior. Say it to your boss and you have insulted them.
早く宿題をしなさい。
hayaku shukudai o shinasai
Do your homework now. (parent to child — downward)
ここに名前を書きなさい。
koko ni namae o kakinasai
Write your name here. (teacher to pupil — downward)
Note the attachment: なさい fuses onto a verb's ます-stem to make this 命令 form — し + なさい = しなさい, 書き + なさい = 書きなさい. That is why the classroom/parenting imperative looks like 〜なさい.
The polite imperative なさいませ
Service Japanese softens the command into なさいませ, the welcoming imperative of inns and shops: ごゆっくりなさいませ ("please relax / enjoy your stay"). This is (formal / service register) and, unlike bare なさい, is aimed warmly at a guest.
本日はごゆっくりなさいませ。
honjitsu wa go-yukkuri nasaimase
Please enjoy your stay today. (なさいませ — ryokan / hotel register)
Conjugating a noun ＋ する verb on なさる
The reason this paradigm is worth memorizing is leverage: any noun ＋ する verb inherits the whole table by swapping する for なさる. Take 予約する ("to reserve"). It becomes ご予約なさる, and every form above transfers unchanged — you never re-derive anything, you just prefix the noun.
| Form | 予約する | Honorific (なさる) |
|---|---|---|
| Polite | 予約します | ご予約なさいます |
| Past | 予約した | ご予約なさった |
| te-form | 予約して | ご予約なさって |
| Negative | 予約しない | ご予約なさらない |
ご予約なさった際に、お電話番号をいただいております。
go-yoyaku nasatta sai ni, o-denwa bangō o itadaite orimasu
We take your phone number at the time you reserve. (ご予約なさった — past, on a compound verb)
ご利用なさらない場合は、事前にご連絡ください。
go-riyō nasaranai baai wa, jizen ni go-renraku kudasai
If you won't be using it, please contact us in advance. (ご利用なさらない — negative, on a compound verb)
The humble counterpart is いたす
The paradigm honors someone else's doing. Your own doing drops to the humble いたす (私がご案内いたします), formed through the お／ご〜する humble pattern. なさる up for them, いたす down for you — the two never trade places.
Common mistakes
Mistake 1 — the regularized ます-stem ×なさります. The class-defining error.
❌ 社長は何時に出発なさりますか。
Wrong ます-stem — the honorific takes the irregular -い-: なさいます, not ×なさります.
✅ 社長は何時に出発なさいますか。
shachō wa nanji ni shuppatsu nasaimasu ka
What time will the president depart?
Mistake 2 — treating なさい as polite enough for a superior. It is a downward command.
❌ 部長、こちらで少々待ちなさい。
Insulting — なさい commands downward (parent→child). You cannot order a superior with it; request instead.
✅ 部長、こちらで少々お待ちください。
buchō, kochira de shōshō o-machi kudasai
Sir, please wait here for a moment. (upward request)
Mistake 3 — using なさる about your own action. Self-elevation; your "do" is humble いたす.
❌ 私が会場をご案内なさいます。
Self-elevation — なさる honors the other person; your own doing takes the humble いたす.
✅ 私が会場をご案内いたします。
watashi ga kaijō o go-annai itashimasu
I'll show you to the venue. (humble, about oneself)
Mistake 4 — the 五段-regular imperative ×なされ. Like くだされ, なされ is archaic; the living imperative is なさい.
❌ しっかり勉強しなされ。
Archaic — ×なされ is period-drama Japanese. The modern downward command is なさい: 勉強しなさい.
✅ しっかり勉強しなさい。
shikkari benkyō shinasai
Study hard. (parent / teacher to a young person)
Key takeaways
- なさる is the honorific of する and conjugates as a 五段 verb with two exceptions.
- Exception one: the ます-stem is the irregular なさいます (never ×なさります).
- Exception two: the imperative is なさい (never ×なされ) — but it is a downward command (parent→child), not a deferential form; never say it to a superior.
- The middle forms — なさった, なさって, なさらない, なされば — are all regular 五段.
- It honorifies noun ＋ する verbs wholesale (勉強なさる, ご予約なさる); your own doing takes the humble いたす.
Now practice Japanese
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Start learning Japanese→Related Topics
- The -aru Honorifics: Special 〜います StemsN3 — Five honorific verbs end in -る — いらっしゃる・おっしゃる・くださる・なさる・ござる — and share one quirk: before ます (and in the imperative) the り-row stem softens to -い-, giving いらっしゃいます, not ×いらっしゃります.
- お〜する／いたす: Regular Humble FormationN3 — The single-shape reference for the productive humble: お + ます-stem + する／いたす across every verb class — with the ご + Sino variant, the full paradigm, and the one condition (an honored recipient) that the pattern needs to make sense.
- Suppletive 尊敬語 Verbs: TableN3 — The special respectful verbs that replace the plain verb wholesale — いらっしゃる, 召し上がる, ご覧になる, おっしゃる, なさる, くださる, ご存じだ — with their plain bases, their irregular 〜います polite forms, and why you must never re-honorify them with お〜になる.