An Invitation, Downward
てごらん encourages someone to try something. It comes from the honorific 御覧になる ("to look"), but the shortened form is not honorific — it is what an adult says to a child, or a teacher to a student.
- 食べてごらん。(Go on, try it.)
The Direction Matters
Because it addresses a social inferior, てごらん to a superior is a mistake. The ladder:
| Pattern | Direction |
|---|---|
| てごらん | to a child or student — warm, encouraging |
| てみて | neutral, any direction |
| てみてください | polite, upward |
| ご覧ください | honorific — "please look" |
The last is the honorific that ごらん came from, and it means something different.
Against てみる
てみる is the neutral "try doing"; てごらん is its gentle imperative. Both invite an attempt, but てごらん is always addressed to someone, never used about yourself.
てごらんなさい
The fuller form is slightly more formal but still downward — a teacher's register. In writing it appears in instructions aimed at children.