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Learn Hardcore Japanese: kaikei wo onegaisimasu. - The bill, please.

Hardcore Japanese
/Lesson 37
/kaikei o onegaishimasu.

kaikei o onegaishimasu.

会計かいけい　を　お願ねがいします。kaikei o onegaishimasu.

The bill, please.

Breakdown of kaikei o onegaishimasu.

direct object particle

会計かいけいkaikei

お願ねがいしますonegaishimasu

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Questions & Answers about kaikei o onegaishimasu.

How do you read 会計をお願いします?

It is read:

かいけいをおねがいします
Kaikei o onegaishimasu

A few notes:

会計 = かいけい
を is usually pronounced o, even though the character is historically wo
お願いします = おねがいします

In natural speech, the を is often said lightly, so the whole sentence can sound close to かいけいおねがいします.

What does 会計 mean here?

In this sentence, 会計 means the bill / check / payment, especially in places like restaurants or cafés.

This word can also mean accounting in other contexts, so learners sometimes get confused. Here, because of the situation and the phrase お願いします, it means something like the check, please.

What is the role of を in this sentence?

を marks 会計 as the thing being requested.

So the structure is roughly:

会計 = the bill/check
を = object marker
お願いします = please / I request

Very literally, it is something like:

As for the bill, I request it

But in natural English, that becomes or .

Nihon-shiki romanizationwatasi ha tyuugoku kara kimasita

Hepburn romanizationwatashi wa chuugoku kara kimashita

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The check, please

Bill, please

Why is お願いします used here?

お願いします is a very common polite expression used when asking for something.

It comes from the verb 願う, which means to wish for / to request. In everyday Japanese, お願いします often works like:

please
I’d like ...
could you give me ...
I’m asking for ...

So 会計をお願いします is a polite way to ask the staff to bring the bill or handle payment.

Is this a polite expression?

Yes, it is polite and normal.

お願いします is in the polite -ます form, so this is appropriate for speaking to restaurant staff, store staff, and other people you do not know well.

It is not extremely formal, but it is standard and respectful.

If you want to sound even softer, you could say:

すみません、会計をお願いします。
すみません、お会計お願いします。

Adding すみません makes it sound more natural in many real-life situations.

Why is there no subject like I or you?

Japanese often leaves out subjects and other information when they are obvious from context.

In a restaurant, if you say 会計をお願いします, everyone understands that:

you are asking
the staff are the ones being asked
the request is for your table’s bill

So Japanese does not need to say something like I want the bill or Please bring me the bill unless there is some special reason to be explicit.

Can you say 会計お願いします without を?

Yes, in casual real-world speech, many people do omit を, especially in short requests.

So both of these are heard:

会計をお願いします
会計お願いします

The version with を is a little more complete and textbook-like. The version without を sounds very natural in conversation.

You may also hear:

お会計お願いします

which is probably one of the most common real-life versions.

Why do people sometimes say お会計 instead of 会計?

The お adds politeness.

So:

会計 = bill / payment
お会計 = polite version of that word

In many restaurants, お会計お願いします sounds especially natural.

That does not mean 会計をお願いします is wrong. It is perfectly understandable and polite. But お会計お願いします is often what learners will hear from native speakers.

Is this the same as 勘定をお願いします?

Yes, the meaning is basically the same in a restaurant context.

会計 = bill / checkout / payment
勘定 = check / bill

勘定お願いします is also a common way to ask for the bill.

Compared with 勘定, 会計 often feels a bit more neutral or modern in many situations, while 勘定 can sound a little more traditional depending on the setting and speaker. But both are common and useful.

Does this sentence mean bring me the bill or I want to pay now?

It can imply either one depending on the situation.

In a restaurant, 会計をお願いします usually means:

Please bring the bill
or We’re ready to pay

In many places, those are basically the same step. You are signaling that you are finished and want to settle the payment.

So the exact English translation may vary, but the Japanese phrase works naturally for both ideas.

Would this be natural in every restaurant situation?

It is natural in many situations, but there are small differences depending on the kind of restaurant.

For example:

If staff come to your table, 会計をお願いします is fine.
If you need to go to the register yourself, this phrase can still be understood, but sometimes people simply go to the counter.
In very casual places, people may just say お会計お願いします or even お願いします with a gesture.

So the phrase is useful and correct, but actual behavior can depend on the restaurant system.

Why are there spaces in 会計　を　お願いします。?

Those spaces are usually added only for learners.

Normal Japanese writing does not usually put spaces between words, so it would normally be written as:

会計をお願いします。

Textbooks and beginner materials often add spaces to make the sentence easier to read and to show word boundaries.

Can お願いします be used by itself?

Yes, sometimes it can.

If the situation is obvious, a person might say just:

お願いします

But by itself, it is vague. It only works when everyone already knows what is being requested.

That is why 会計をお願いします is clearer: it explicitly says what you want.

In real life, a very natural version is:

すみません、お会計お願いします。

This gets the staff’s attention and then politely asks for the bill.

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