Humanities Languages What Does Matte Mean in Japanese? Share Flipboard Email Print Languages Japanese Vocabulary Basics History & Culture Grammar English as a Second Language Spanish French German Italian Mandarin Russian English Grammar View More by Namiko Abe Namiko Abe is a Japanese language teacher and translator, as well as a Japanese calligraphy expert. She has been a freelance writer for nearly 20 years. Updated February 12, 2019 Wait is a word we often yell to catch someone who might be leaving a room or building, or if we are running to catch a bus or train. The way you say "wait" in Japanese is Matte. The more formal form of the word is "Chotto matte kudasai." Chotto means "a small amount/degree," and kudasai means "please." This phrase can be used in many different ways where it's appropriate to say "wait a moment." For example, a shop keeper speaking to a customer in a more relaxed tone.A much more formal way to say "wait a moment" is Shou-shou o-machi kudasai. Pronunciation of Matte: Listen to the audio file for "Matte." Japanese Characters for Matte 待って。(まって。) More Request/Command Words and Phrases: Previous phraseNext phraseRequest/Command Archive Source: Quora, "Japanese (language): What does "chotto matte" mean and how is it used?" Continue Reading