kotira ni suwatte mo yorosii desu ka.

In this sentence, こちら means here / this place.

It is more polite than ここ.

• ここ = here
• こちら = this way / here / this place (more polite)

So:

• ここに座ってもいいですか。 = Can I sit here?
• こちらに座ってもよろしいですか。 = May I sit here? / Would it be alright if I sat here?

In many situations, こちら sounds softer and more respectful.

The particle に marks the place where the action results in being located.

With 座る (to sit), Japanese often uses place + に + 座る:

• いすに座る = sit on a chair
• そこに座る = sit there
• こちらに座る = sit here

So こちらに means in this spot / here as the location where the speaker wants to sit.

座って is the て-form of 座る.

The pattern in this sentence is:

て-form + も + よろしいですか

This pattern means:

Would it be alright if I ...?
or
May I ...?

So:

• 座る = to sit
• 座ってもよろしいですか = May I sit?

You cannot use 座るもよろしいですか here. The grammar requires the て-form.

Here, も is part of the grammar pattern て-form + もいい / もよろしい.

It does not mean also in this sentence.

The pattern works like this:

• Vて + もいいです = it is okay to do V
• Vて + もよろしいです = it is alright to do V (more polite)

So:

• 座ってもいいですか = Is it okay if I sit?
• 座ってもよろしいですか = May I sit? / Would it be alright if I sat?

よろしい is a very polite version of いい (good / okay).

So:

• いいですか = Is it okay?
• よろしいですか = Would it be alright? / Is it acceptable?

This makes the whole sentence more formal and respectful.

Compare:

• こちらに座ってもいいですか。 = Can I sit here?
• こちらに座ってもよろしいですか。 = May I sit here?

The second one is more polite and is useful in formal situations, such as speaking to a stranger, a staff member, or someone of higher status.

Yes. A very useful pattern to memorize is:

Verb て-form + もいいですか = May I do ...?
Verb て-form + もよろしいですか = May I do ...? / Would it be alright if I do ...?

Examples:

• 入ってもいいですか。 = May I come in?
• 見てもいいですか。 = May I look?
• 使ってもよろしいですか。 = May I use it?
• こちらに座ってもよろしいですか。 = May I sit here?

This is one of the most common ways to ask permission in Japanese.

Japanese often omits the subject when it is obvious from context.

In English, you usually need to say Can I sit here?
In Japanese, the I is understood, so it is left out:

• (私は) こちらに座ってもよろしいですか。

Including 私は is possible, but it often sounds unnecessary in normal conversation.

This is very common in Japanese: subjects and objects are often omitted when the meaning is clear.

Yes, in a literal grammar sense, it is something like:

Is it alright if I sit here?

But in natural English, the best translation is usually:

May I sit here?

That is because the speaker is asking permission.

So the Japanese structure is closer to Would it be okay if I sat here?, but the natural English meaning is usually May I sit here?

Yes. That would give you:

こちらに座ってもいいですか。

This still means May I sit here?, but it is less formal.

Roughly speaking:

• 〜てもいいですか = polite, normal
• 〜てもよろしいですか = more formal, more respectful

Both are correct. The choice depends on the situation.

Yes. The sentence pattern stays the same.

Examples:

• ここに座ってもよろしいですか。 = May I sit here?
• そこに座ってもよろしいですか。 = May I sit there?
• あそこに座ってもよろしいですか。 = May I sit over there?
• この席に座ってもよろしいですか。 = May I sit in this seat?

So once you know the pattern, you can swap in many place expressions.

です adds politeness.

• よろしいか sounds stiff, old-fashioned, or not like normal polite conversation in this context.
• よろしいですか is the standard polite form.

Then か marks the sentence as a question.

So:

• よろしいです = It is fine / It is alright
• よろしいですか = Is it alright?

It is quite polite.

Here is a rough politeness scale:

• ここ座っていい？ = Can I sit here? very casual
• ここに座っていいですか。 = May I sit here? polite
• こちらに座ってもいいですか。 = polite, slightly softer
• こちらに座ってもよろしいですか。 = more formal / respectful

So this sentence is appropriate when you want to sound careful and courteous.

In this pattern, it is specifically used to ask permission.

The core idea is:

Would it be acceptable if I sit?

So it is not just describing the action of sitting. It is asking whether the action is allowed.

This is different from something like:

• 座ってください。 = Please sit.
• 座っています。 = is sitting / am sitting
• 座れます。 = can sit / am able to sit

So 座ってもよろしいですか is about permission, not ability or command.

It sounds natural and polite, but a little formal for very casual situations.

In everyday speech, many people would more often say:

• ここ、座ってもいいですか。
• こちら、座ってもいいですか。

Using よろしいですか makes it sound more careful and respectful, which is good in formal settings, with strangers, or when you want to be especially polite.

In speech, there may be a slight pause:

こちらに / 座ってもよろしいですか。

But there is no special required pause after こちら itself. The important thing is that こちらに stays together as a location phrase.

In natural pronunciation, the sentence flows smoothly:

こちらに座ってもよろしいですか。

So learners should think of it in chunks like this:

• こちらに = here / in this place
• 座っても = if I sit
• よろしいですか = would it be alright?

Yes, depending on the situation.

If you are speaking to a close friend or family member, こちらに座ってもよろしいですか。 may sound overly formal or stiff.

With a friend, you would more naturally say:

• ここ座っていい？
• ここに座ってもいい？

But in a restaurant, meeting room, waiting area, office, or when speaking to someone you do not know well, the original sentence is very appropriate.