Grammar › Verbs & Politeness
〜ませんか — “won't you…?” (a soft invitation)
Inviting someone: 一緒に行きませんか — won't you come with me?
Adding か to the polite negative 〜ません turns a plain negative question into a warm invitation — “won't you do X (with me)?” It's the standard, polite way to invite someone to do something together, softer and more natural than a direct 〜ましょう.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| ます-stem + ませんか | 行く → 一緒に行きませんか — won't you come with me? |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 今度、映画を見に行きませんか。 | こんど、えいがをみにいきませんか。 kondo、eigawominiikimasenka。 | Won't you go see a movie with me sometime? |
| お茶でも飲みませんか。 | おちゃでものみませんか。 ochademonomimasenka。 | Won't you have some tea (with me)? |
| 一緒に昼ご飯を食べませんか。 | いっしょにひるごはんをたべませんか。 isshonihirugohanwotabemasenka。 | Won't you eat lunch together with me? |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
〜ませんか invites and leaves room for “no”; 〜ましょう assumes the other person is already on board. Reaching for ませんか first is the safer, more polite default when you're not sure.
