敬Voice and politeness
Polite speech
Japanese changes verbs and nouns to show respect. Raise others up with お~になる, and lower yourself with お~する.
Raising or lowering?
Same prefix, opposite direction
The teacher read it.
Respectful: about someone else's action.
I'll carry your bag, teacher.
Humble: your action, which affects them.
Formation
Built from the ます stem
Most Chinese-origin nouns take ご, but 電話, 勉強, 料理 and 掃除 take お.
| Type | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Respectful | お + stem + になる | お書きになる |
| Humble | お + stem + する | お書きする |
| Noun + する, respectful | ご + noun + なさる | ご結婚なさる |
| Noun + する, humble | ご + noun + する | ご連絡する |
Special verbs
Some verbs are simply replaced
| Verb | Respectful | Humble |
|---|---|---|
| 行く / 来る | いらっしゃる | 参る (まいる) |
| いる | いらっしゃる | おる |
| する | なさる | いたす |
| 食べる / 飲む | 召し上がる | いただく |
| 言う | おっしゃる | 申す (もうす) |
| 見る | ご覧になる | 拝見する |
| 知っている | ご存じだ | 存じている |
In use
At work
The manager has gone home.
What is your name?
I'll contact you right away.
What would you like to eat?
My name is Tanaka.
お and ご on words
Politeness on nouns and adjectives
Generally, お goes with native Japanese words and ご with Chinese-origin words, though some of the most common words are exceptions. Avoid using it on your own things or on foreign words.
| Word | With prefix | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 名前 | お名前 | Respect for someone else's name |
| 手紙 | お手紙 | Could be respect, or humility |
| 茶 | お茶 | Simply a polite habit |
| 元気 | お元気 | Respect, about someone else |
| 家族 | ご家族 | Respect for someone's family |
Check yourself
Who's doing the action?
Your turn
なります or します?
The manager spoke.
Say it yourself
A client's visit
A client arrives at your office. Introduce yourself as Sato, ask if they'd like some tea, and offer to carry their bag.
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