modality N4 common politecasual
なさい — soft imperative: do ~
なさい
Builds on 連用形（ます形）
Meaning
- a gentle but firm command 'do ~' — softer than the blunt imperative, used by someone in authority talking down to someone in their care
Key sentence
早く寝なさい。
Go to bed now.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| verb's masu-stem | [masu-stem] + なさい | 食べる → 食べなさい |
When: Parent→child, teacher→student, and exam/textbook instructions. It is a command from above, so never use it toward a superior or a stranger.
Variants
〜な — clipped form dropping さい — 早く食べな. Don't confuse with the prohibitive 〜な ('don't ~'), which attaches to the dictionary form.
Examples
宿題をしなさい。
Do your homework.
野菜もちゃんと食べなさい。
Eat your vegetables too.
次の問題に答えなさい。
Answer the next question.
When you can't use it
- Still a command, just a softened one — it is not polite enough to make a request of an equal or a superior. For that, use 〜てください or お〜ください.
Easily confused with
Notes
- なさい is the imperative of the honorific verb なさる, which is why it sounds refined yet still directive.
See なさい in real sentences
Jengo shows なさい the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Intermediate Japanese Grammar.