Ask permission for marriage in japanese

I've been together with my japanese girlfriend for 4 years now and it is time to get married. I was wondering how I would ask her father for his permission to marry her, in japanese. If someone could please give me the japanese phrase (and the english version so that I know what I'm actually saying),
that would be greatly appreciated.
thanks

Why not ask your girlfriend lol.

GIRFRIENDS name followed by O

Shiawase ni shimas keikon-o yurushite kudasai.

It is something like I ask your permission to marry.......

I will be trying the same thing next week when I get to Tokyo

good luck mate

"(HER NAME)-san o shiawase ni shimas(u). Kekkon o yurushite kudasai."
(I'll make .... happy. Please permit our marriage.)

Good luck to both of you, Louis and krazykev!! :)

what happens in the case of the father pondering and humming and haaaaing about the issue?? Is there something more I could say in order to get an answer out of him ASAP.

Thanks mate

This is where you get down on all fours and beg "Onegaishimasu"! ;-)

I am too old to be doing that ^&*%^*$**^&%*

I am only 12 years younger than her father and there is no way i will be grovelling.
I am expecting him to converse with me openly and not treat me as a minor. I will be pissed off severely if I get the run around.

It could then be something more like, it's a matter of either take it or live with the consequences.

Would that go down well?? hehehe!!

Getting down on all fours and begging is not a minor grovelling at all in Japan. At least if it's done indoors. It's a plain sincere way to show utmost respect and seriousness.

Or if the meeting is done in a tatami room without chairs, that would actually be a standard manner.

But if you can say "take it or leave it," that's as far as your "love" for her goes, I guess :)

I was wondering about "what would happen then" type of thing when I posted earlier... if the dad simply sits there and ponder... I mean, "yurushite kudasai" is a request that NEEDS an answer. So you've gotta wait until the dad answers. The only thing you can add is "onegai shimasu," not on all four or whatsoever, but just that, to give the dad a push to answer. He'll shrug or mumble something like well let me think, or might turn to his daughter and ask her question... in any case, just sincerely say this, and see what happens :) maybe you get a positive answer right away!

Thanks everybody for you input! I am in Japan right now so I will talk to him soon! Boy, I am nervous!
Us getting married is not a secret and I have met my girlfriend's father a few times already. So I hope there won't be too much mumbling and groveling. I just want to do it out respect like Uco said.
Good luck too you too, krazykev!

I arrive tomorrow evening and the old fella will probably be asleep. Anyway, Sunday should be heaps of fun with me on all fours and doing the begging bit.

I am expecting a bit of resistance considering this is my 3rd marriage. he does know all this and has still invited me to come over and stay so things maybe not toooooooooooooooooo heavy.

Thanks for the tips guys...........I hope i don't miss the bus on the polite show. I have a tendancy to say the wrong things at the best of times. Lets hope i don't stuff up.

Anyway good luck to you too.

Discuss how it went later. Could be a bestseller, heheheheh

Thanks guys, your answers were helpful to me as well.

Origato Gozaimas.

Daniel

Hi guys,

Thanks for all the advice prior to me asking the future inlaws if I can marry their daughter. It went down really well. The first few days went well and I taught the old fellar to drink his beer out of the can. He kept on filling my glass which confused the hell out of me as to how much I have actually consumed. After 3 days or so, I asked him wheat i should call him............his reply was PAPPA. I said great so now for the second question which was the permission to marry. He smiled and bowed lower than I could ever get. YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO............

Tears in mamas eyes coupled with Papa sans sincereness was all so comforting. From that time onwards it was all good. I explained that I would prefer them to refer to me as Australian and NOT gaijin. They got the drift. Only the uneducated can catagorize people into such a large group(Gaijin)

All is well..............I hope all went well for Louis.

Nice that you came back to tell us how it went, and glad to hear the happy outcome, krazykev! :) I hope it went well for Louis and others who happen to pass by to read the posts....

So, are you all married yet?!?! Still married?!?! Oh, it hurts...