少し検討させてください。 — Let me think about it for a little while. (Cultural · Communication, Formal to Acquaintance, JLPT N4)

Gesture & etiquette

A slight downward gaze and a slow nod while saying this often reinforces the indirect refusal. Culturally attuned listeners will recognize the cue and gracefully shift the conversation.

In Japanese communication, this phrase very frequently signals a soft 'no.' A direct refusal can feel rude, so 「検討します」or 「難しいかもしれません」act as polite declinations. If someone says this to you, do not push for an immediate answer — a follow-up silence often means the answer is no.