Question
I’m planning to visit a friend in Japan during the cherry blossom season. I want to ask her if we can go to a hanami (cherry blossom viewing) event together. How do I ask, “Can we go to a hanami event together?” in Japanese?
Japango Editor Team
一緒に（いっしょに）花見（はなみ）に行（い）ってもいいですか。
Issho ni hanami ni ittemo iidesuka?
Can we go to a hanami event together?
This is a polite way to ask if someone can accompany you to a cherry blossom viewing. Issho ni means “together” and hanami refers to the traditional Japanese custom of enjoying cherry blossoms. The phrase “Verb+temo iidesuka” is used to seek permission, so ittemo iidesuka (based on the verb “iku”, to go) means “may we go?” or “can we go?”
You might want to remember this structure to ask for permission in other situations by replacing hanami with another activity or location.
