Keigo: Japanese Honorific Speech

Keigo: Japanese Honorific Speech (敬けい語ご)

Japanese has a system of respectful language called . It shows respect and an awareness of social relationships. You're already using part of it: whenever you say instead of , or the form instead of the plain form, you're speaking — polite language. Keigo simply lets you take that respect further. Let's walk through the main pieces.

1. The polite prefixes お and ご (both written 御お・ご)

Putting or in front of a noun makes it more polite. The general rule:

  • + native Japanese (, kun-reading) words
  • + Sino-Japanese (, on-reading, from Chinese) words
PrefixWordReadingMeaning
おokanemoney
おosakesake / alcohol
おomiyagesouvenir
おochatea (exception — see below)
ごgohanrice / meal
ごgoshujin(someone else's) husband
A caution: the お/ご rule is a helpful guide, not an absolute law. Some Sino-Japanese words take anyway — and are everyday examples — and a few accept either. When in doubt, follow what native speakers actually say, and don't over-do it (お/ご on everything sounds unnatural).

You already know お from set phrases such as:

2. The name suffix 様さま (sama)

is a more respectful version of . Use it for someone you don't know well, or who ranks above you:

Some 様 words are now fixed vocabulary: (kami-sama, God); (ō-sama, king). As with さん, never attach 様 to your own name — unless you're being deliberately arrogant or joking: (ore-sama) is a boastful, over-the-top "me."

3. More polite pronouns & question words

  • — a politer "who," especially on the phone. You can also ask (dochira-sama desu ka?) — "May I ask who's calling?"
  • — a politer "person": . For your own side, the humble word is (mono).

4. Honorific verbs: humble, polite, and respectful

This is the heart of keigo. Verbs shift depending on who you're talking about:

  • used about yourself (or your group) when speaking to someone above you.
  • the neutral 〜ます/です you already use.
  • used about the other person (your boss, a customer) to elevate them.
Rule of thumb: lower yourself (humble), raise the other person (respectful).
MeaningHumble Polite Respectful
to see
to do
to go / come
to eat / drink
to say
to be (a person)
to know

Two patterns worth noticing:

  • Many respectful verbs use ( = "[they] write").
  • Many humble verbs use ( = "I'll carry it [for you]").

Putting it together

Imagine phoning a company:

Keigo takes time — even native speakers slip up. Get comfortable with お/ご, 様, and a handful of the most common verb swaps (see, do, go/come, eat, say) first, and the rest will come with exposure.

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