Structure
Verb[て]+ ごらん
Verb[て]+ ごらんなさい
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一般
About てごらん
てご覧 is an honorific language expression in Japanese that is used in a similar way to なさい. It is usually translated as 'please try to (A)', where (A) is the verb that ご覧 is connected to, through the use of the conjunction particle て.
- この本を読んでごらん。この本を読んだら日本について色々と学べるよ。Try reading this book. If you read it, you will learn various things about Japan.
- 外を見てごらん。虹が出ているよ。Look outside. There is a rainbow.
Caution
As ご覧 is honorific language, it cannot be used to refer to your own actions, or things that you will 'try'. It will only ever be used to make suggestions to other people about what they should try.- これ食べてごらん。あなただったら絶対に好きだと思うよ。Try eating this. If it's you, I think you'll definitely like it.
Caution
Sometimes ごらん and なさい will be paired together. This slightly increases the strength of the suggestion, and may be perceived as a very light command. Because of this, ごらんなさい is primarily used by superiors/elders, when requesting that a subordinate/younger person try something.- 見てごらんなさい。こんな酷いことをネットにかかれたんだよ、酷くない?Look at this. Someone wrote something this cruel on the internet. Don't you think this is awful?
Synonyms
Antonyms
Examples
その景色を見てごらん。
Take a look at that scenery.
まだ学んでいない文法を勉強してごらん。
Try studying grammar you haven't learned yet.
ニュースを見てごらん。あなたが映っているよ。
Take a look at the news. You are on TV.
あの蝶々を捕まえてごらんなさい。
Try to catch that butterfly.
手を貸してごらん。手袋をはめてあげるから。
Give me your hands. I will put your gloves on.
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Breakdown and example sentences
Japanese Test 4 You
ちょうだい、ごらん、てください、おいで
Japanese Stack Exchange
Offline
[AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
Page 229
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てごらん – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (2 in total)
trevor_fengel
I’m confused why an elder might use this grammar. If 御覧なさい is considered an honorific and elderly are 目上 why would they be the ones using this?
nekoyama
なさい in general isn’t normally used with people of higher status. It’s originally respectful language, but so is 食べる, so that alone doesn’t mean much.
Nowadays なさい is typically used by parents or teachers etc. (outside some set expressions like おやすみなさい or ごめんなさい that have their own rules).
ごらん sounds more fancy than みて so people who like fancy language, i.e. old people, might prefer it for that reason.
Also keep in mind that this is a way to give commands. You have to be in a position to give commands to use it.
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