INTRO TO JAPANESE HONORIFICS

The Japanese language, like Korean or Javanese, has several levels of politeness when addressing someone, it is called Honorifics:

• Polite language (丁寧語, teineigo);
• Respectful language (尊敬語, sonkeigo);
• Humble language (謙譲語, kenjōgo)

These honorifics change depending on who you are talking to, and it is important to learn them so you don’t inadvertently offend or disrespect someone!

丁寧語 POLITE LANGUAGE

丁寧語 teineigo

The basic Japanese polite form is called 丁寧語 (ていねいご).

Many people start learning this form by default when they are just getting started with Japanese. It is the form we use when ending our sentences with ます and です (using the ます forms of verbs, and using です as the copula—to be, or is).

Another very common example of 丁寧語 is ございます (gozaimasu).

ございます is the polite form of the verb ある (aru), to exist. This exists in some basic phrases in Japanese as a default.

尊敬語 RESPECTFUL LANGUAGE

尊敬語 sonkeigo

The next level of politeness is  尊敬語 (そんけいご), or respectful language.

When speaking Japanese, we show our respect for people by a) elevating their actions, and b) humbling our own actions.

The distinction between the actions of the other and the actions we make ourselves is key, since we do not want to elevate our own actions or belittle someone else’s! 

尊敬語 is used when talking about the actions or things of others who are superior to you.

A way to start adding politeness to words is by attaching prefixes お- and ご- to words.

The trick here is knowing which prefix to use which which word, and which words don’t work with either prefix. 

• お is used with words that come from Japanese origin;
• ご is used with words of Chinese origin, but exceptions do exist.

Words borrowed from other languages, usually written in katakana, won’t take either prefix, but when they do, it is お (おトイレ).

For many learners, the first sighting of this form might be in phrases like: お元気ですか (ogenkidesuka), how are you? or in words like お母さん (okāsan) and お父さん (otōsan).

This form is a sign of respect for the person you are talking to, and for the people and things that belong to them. 

Here are some more examples of words that take on the お and ご prefixes:

Different ways to use 尊敬語 (そんけいご)

There are few ways to use 尊敬語 (そんけいご) in sentences. Choose which one will depend on the context and just how honorific we are trying to be.

One way to do this is to add お to the Verb-stem or ご to the Noun and at the end add になります.

Examples:

Using the PASSIVE FORM of the verb also makes it more polite:

Some verbs have special honorific forms. For example:

BECOMES ↓

If we are talking to someone above us, like a boss or a teacher, we can say:

謙譲語(けんじょうご) is used when talking about our own actions to someone superior to you.

謙譲語 HUMBLE LANGUAGE

謙譲語 kenjōgou

Honourifics can further be broken down into humble languages 謙譲語 (けんじょうご).

They are used when our actions have an affect on or involve a superior (謙譲語 1), and ones that do not involve or affect a superior (謙譲語 2). 

Involving a superior || 謙譲語 1

To make a 謙譲語 1 verb, we can add  お to the Verb-stem or ご to the Noun and at the end add します:

And there are also special forms of verbs that can be used, like:

So, if we are talking to someone of higher status about something we did, that involves them, we could use 謙譲語(けんじょうご) 1.

The action of viewing in this sentence is done by the speaker, and it involves someone of a higher status (it is the teacher’s photo being viewed), so that’s why 謙譲語 1 is used.

Not involving a superior || 謙譲語 2

謙譲語 2 consists mostly of special verbs, like:

Let’s say we are talking to the boss about going somewhere tomorrow, in a way that does not involve the boss at all.

 That sentence was using the 謙譲語 2 form of the verb 行く (いく), to go. What if we made the same sentence but using the 謙譲語 1 verb, 伺う(うかがう)?

These sentences are the same except for the verb, and both verbs translate to “to go”. The first sentence uses a 謙譲語 2 verb, which does not involve a superior. This could be spoken to someone higher up when it does not directly involve them.

If the person speaking is meeting with a boss or teacher, the action would involve a superior, so the speaker should choose to use the 謙譲語 1 verb.

MORE JAPANESE HONORIFICS VERBS

There are many different verbs for each category, so be sure to explore them on your own.

Here are just a few examples of how a verb can transform into respectful language and humble language.

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MORE RESOURCES

Want to learn more? Check out these other free resources:

• Learn about honorifics verbs in Korean
• Learn about basic honorifics in Korean

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