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Grammar detail: honorific prefixes ご and お

honorific prefixes ご and お
124 words
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In polite speech, it is common to make nouns more polite by prefixing them with お or ご.
お is added to words which are read with
くんよ
訓読
み, ie the native Japanese readings of any kanji used:
お
みず
水
water
お
かね
金
money
お
かし
菓子
sweets / candy
お
くすり
薬
medicine
お
さかな
魚
fish
お
たまご
卵
egg
お
てがみ
手紙
letter
お
にぎ
握
り
onigiri (triangular seaweed-wrapped rice balls)
お is also used in various standard expressions even though the readings are not standard
くんよ
訓読
み:
お
ちゃ
茶
tea
お
だいじ
大事
に
get well
お
とう
父
さん
father
お
かあ
母
さん
mother
お
ねえ
姉
さん
older sister
お
にい
兄
さん
older brother
お
じかん
時間
(your) time
お
へんじ
返事
reply
ご is added to words read with
おんよ
音読
み:
ご
かぞく
家族
family
ご
きょうりょく
協力
cooperation
ご
ほん
本
book
ご
はん
飯
rice
ご
ようじん
用心
care / attention
ご
れんらく
連絡
contact
ご
かくにん
確認
confirmation
ご
しつもん
質問
question
Note that both ご and お are sometimes written in kanji as 御, in which case the reading must be inferred.
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Kanji used in this grammar

訓
クン    teaching, precept; Japanese reading of a kanji   
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読
ドク   トク   トウ   よむ to read   
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水
スイ   みず water   
金
キン   コン   かね gold; money   
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菓
カ    candy   
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子
シ   ス   こ child   
薬
ヤク   くすり medicine   
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魚
ギョ   さかな    うお fish   
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卵
ラン   たまご egg   
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手
シュ   hand   て    た-    
紙
シ   かみ paper   
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握
アク   にぎる to grasp   
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茶
チャ   サ    tea   
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大
ダイ   タイ   おおきい big   おおいに very much   おお-    
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事
ジ   ズ   こと thing; matter   
父
フ   ちち father   
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母
ボ   はは mother   
姉
シ   あね elder sister   
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兄
ケイ   キョウ   elder brother; brother   あに elder brother   
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時
ジ   とき time, occasion   
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間
カン   ケン   あいだ interval, between   ま space, room   
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返
ヘン   かえる to return, to come back   かえす to return (something)   
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音
オン   イン   sound   おと    ね    
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家
カ   ケ   house   いえ    や    
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族
ゾク    tribe   
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協
キョウ    cooperation   
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力
リョク   リキ   ちから effort; power   
本
ホン   book   もと origin   
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飯
ハン   めし boiled rice, food   
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用
ヨウ   もちいる to use   
心
シン   こころ heart   
連
レン   つれる to take, to lead   つらねる to line up   つらなる to extend   
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絡
ラク   entangled   からまる to be entangled, to be entwined   からむ to get in a tangle with   からめる to entwine   
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確
カク   たしか certain   たしかめる to make certain   
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認
ニン   みとめる to recognize, to perceive, to approve of   
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質
シツ   シチ   チ    quality; substance   
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問
モン   とい question   とう to ask   とん wholesale   
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御
ゴ   ギョ   honorific prefix   おん-    
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