Translation guide
A polite request for someone to look after a person, thing, or task. Japanese uses different expressions depending on what is being taken care of and the relationship.
Asking someone to watch over or care for a person.
Standard polite request to take care of or look after someone. '面倒を見る' means to care for someone's needs.
子供の面倒を見てください。
Please take care of the children.
A versatile phrase meaning 'please take care of (someone/something)'. Implies trust and reliance. Often used when leaving someone in another's care.
娘をよろしくお願いします。
Please take care of my daughter.
Directly means 'please take care of' in the sense of looking after someone's daily needs. Slightly more formal than 面倒を見る.
お年寄りの世話をしてください。
Please take care of the elderly person.
Asking someone to deal with a task, issue, or piece of business.
The most common and natural way to ask someone to handle something. Works for both concrete tasks and abstract matters.
この件をよろしくお願いします。
Please take care of this matter.
Means 'please process/handle' and is used for tasks like paperwork, data, or problems. More formal and businesslike.
この書類を処理してください。
Please take care of these documents.
Casual request meaning 'please do (it) in advance' or 'take care of it'. Used among close colleagues or friends.
掃除をやっておいてください。
Please take care of the cleaning.
Asking someone to look after a physical item.
Means 'please keep/look after (an item) for me'. Used when leaving something in someone's temporary care.
この荷物を預かってください。
Please take care of this luggage.
Means 'please take good care of (something)' with an emphasis on treating it as precious. Used for valuable or sentimental items.
この本を大事にしてください。
Please take care of this book.
Expressing concern for someone's well-being, often as a farewell.
Standard polite expression meaning 'please take care of your health'. Commonly used when saying goodbye.
お体に気をつけてください。
Please take care of yourself.
Formal, somewhat literary expression meaning 'please take care of yourself'. Often used in letters or formal speeches.
どうぞご自愛ください。
Please take care of yourself.
Both mean 'to take care of' a person. 面倒を見る implies a broader sense of looking after someone's overall well-being, often used for children or dependents. 世話をする is more about attending to specific daily needs and can sound slightly more formal or clinical.
祖母の面倒を見ています。
I'm taking care of my grandmother.
入院中の父の世話をしています。
I'm taking care of my hospitalized father.
Do not translate 'take care of' word-for-word as 'ケアを取る' or similar. It is not natural Japanese. Use the phrases provided based on context.