zibun wo semenaide kudasai.

In this sentence, 自分 means yourself.

A tricky thing about 自分 is that it does not always mean one fixed person like English myself. Its reference depends on context. It can mean:

• myself
• yourself
• himself / herself
• sometimes a more general oneself

In 自分を責めないでください, the speaker is telling someone not to blame themselves, so 自分 is understood as yourself.

This is one reason Japanese can feel different from English: the word itself is more flexible, and context tells you who it refers to.

を marks the direct object of the verb.

The verb here is 責める, which means to blame. The thing or person being blamed is marked with を.

So:

• 自分 = yourself
• を = object marker
• 責める = to blame

That gives the core idea:

• 自分を責める = to blame yourself

A very literal breakdown is:

• yourself + object marker + blame

The dictionary form is 責める.

This is an -eru / ichidan verb. Its basic conjugation here is:

• 責める = to blame
• 責めない = do not blame / not blame
• 責めないで = don’t blame / without blaming

Then adding ください makes it a polite request:

• 責めないでください = please don’t blame

So the full sentence is built from the verb 責める.

This is a very common pattern for polite negative requests.

The pattern is:

• verb nai-form + でください = please don’t do ...

In this sentence:

• 責める → 責めない
• 責めない + でください → 責めないでください

So:

• 自分を責めないでください = Please don’t blame yourself.

This pattern is extremely useful. For example:

• 心配しないでください = Please don’t worry.
• 無理しないでください = Please don’t overdo it.
• 忘れないでください = Please don’t forget.

It is a request, not a blunt command.

～ないでください is polite and common. It means please don’t ... and is softer than a direct order.

Compare:

• 責めないでください = Please don’t blame yourself.
• 責めるな = Don’t blame yourself. / Stop blaming yourself.

責めるな sounds much stronger, rougher, and more forceful.
So 責めないでください is the better choice in kind, supportive, or polite situations.

Because Japanese often leaves out subjects and other obvious information when the context is clear.

In English, you usually need something like:

• Please don’t blame yourself.

In Japanese, if the speaker is clearly talking to the other person, there is no need to say あなたは.

So Japanese often sounds more like:

• 自分を責めないでください
• literally: Please don’t blame yourself

The listener understands that this is being said to them from context.

In isolation, 自分 can be flexible, so context matters. But in normal conversation, 自分を責めないでください is most naturally understood as:

• Please don’t blame yourself.

Why?

Because ～ないでください is addressed to the listener, and 自分 often refers back to the person most relevant in context. In a supportive statement spoken directly to someone, that will usually be you.

If the context were different, 自分 could refer to another person, but that would usually need clearer setup to avoid confusion.

自分 is very natural here.

You could say あなた自身を責めないでください, but that sounds more explicit and heavier. It may be used for emphasis, but in everyday speech it is less natural than just 自分.

Compare:

• 自分を責めないでください = natural, standard
• あなた自身を責めないでください = more emphatic, more explicit

Japanese often prefers the simpler form when the meaning is already clear.

They are related, but not the same.

• 責める = to blame, to reproach
  
  • focuses on holding someone responsible
• 叱る = to scold
  
  • often used when speaking angrily to someone about their behavior
• 非難する = to criticize, condemn
  
  • more formal and often stronger or more public

So in 自分を責めないでください, 責める is the right word because the idea is don’t blame yourself, not don’t scold yourself in a literal sense.

The reading is:

• じぶん を せめないで ください
• jibun o semenai de kudasai

A few pronunciation notes:

• 自分 = じぶん
• 責めないで = せめないで
• The particle を is usually pronounced o, even though it is written with the kana を.
• ください is pronounced kudasai.

So the whole sentence sounds like:

• jibun o semenai de kudasai

Yes. It is polite and appropriate in many everyday situations.

The politeness comes from ください.
So 責めないでください is a polite way to say please don’t blame yourself.

Depending on tone and context, it can sound:

• gentle
• caring
• supportive
• respectful

If you wanted to sound even softer, you might hear:

• 自分を責めないでくださいね

The ね adds a warm, reassuring feeling, like okay? or you know.

Japanese normally does not use spaces between words in ordinary writing.

So the standard writing is:

• 自分を責めないでください。

Spaces are sometimes added in learning materials to make the structure easier to see:

• 自分　を　責めないで　ください。

That can help beginners notice:

• noun: 自分
• particle: を
• verb phrase: 責めないでください

But in natural Japanese text, you would usually write it without spaces.