Translation guide
How to tell someone to be quiet in Japanese, ranging from polite requests to blunt commands.
Asking someone to be quiet in a polite or formal situation.
Standard polite request. Literally 'please do quiet'.
図書館では静かにしてください。
Please be quiet in the library.
More formal and polite, often used in announcements or by staff.
お静かに願います。まもなく開演いたします。
Please be quiet. The performance will begin shortly.
Telling friends, family, or children to be quiet in a casual setting.
Casual request. Used among friends or to children.
ちょっと静かにして。
Be quiet for a moment.
Literally 'shut up', but can be used casually among close friends. Can sound harsh.
Can be rude if used with the wrong person or tone.
黙って！
Shut up!
Short, direct command. Often used by parents or teachers.
静かに！
Quiet!
Forcefully telling someone to be quiet, often in anger.
Hinting that someone should be quiet without a direct command.
Literally 'your voice is loud', a gentle way to suggest lowering volume.
すみません、ちょっと声が大きいですよ。
Excuse me, you're a bit loud.
Polite request: 'Could you be a little quieter?'
少し静かにしてもらえますか？
Could you be a little quieter?
Using sound-symbolic words to describe or request quietness.
English 'be quiet' can be neutral, but Japanese direct commands like 静かに or 黙れ can sound very harsh depending on tone and relationship. Use polite forms unless you are close to the person.
静か (shizuka) means 'quiet' as a state (no noise). 黙る (damaru) means 'to stop talking, to fall silent'. 静かにして means 'be quiet (don't make noise)', while 黙って means 'shut up (stop talking)'.