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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:
みず
water
かね
money
かし
菓子
sweets / candy
くすり
medicine
さかな
fish
たまご
egg
てがみ
手紙
letter
にぎ
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:
ちゃ
tea
だいじ
大事
get well
とう
さん
father
かあ
さん
mother
ねえ
さん
older sister
にい
さん
older brother
じかん
時間
(your) time
へんじ
返事
reply
ご is added to words read with
おんよ
音読
み:
かぞく
家族
family
きょうりょく
協力
cooperation
ほん
book
はん
rice
ようじん
用心
care / attention
れんらく
連絡
contact
かくにん
確認
confirmation
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

クン    teaching, precept; Japanese reading of a kanji   
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ドク   トク   トウ   よ to read   
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スイ   みず water   
キン   コン   かね gold; money   
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カ    candy   
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シ   ス   こ child   
ヤク   くすり medicine   
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ギョ   さかな    うお fish   
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ラン   たまご egg   
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シュ   hand   て    た-    
シ   かみ paper   
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アク   にぎ to grasp   
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チャ   サ    tea   
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ダイ   タイ   おおきい big   おおいに very much   おお-    
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ジ   ズ   こと thing; matter   
フ   ちち father   
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ボ   はは mother   
シ   あね elder sister   
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ケイ   キョウ   elder brother; brother   あに elder brother   
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ジ   とき time, occasion   
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カン   ケン   あいだ interval, between   ま space, room   
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ヘン   かえ to return, to come back   かえ to return (something)   
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オン   イン   sound   おと    ね    
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カ   ケ   house   いえ    や    
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ゾク    tribe   
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キョウ    cooperation   
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リョク   リキ   ちから effort; power   
ホン   book   もと origin   
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ハン   めし boiled rice, food   
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ヨウ   もちいる to use   
シン   こころ heart   
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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ラク   entangled   からまる to be entangled, to be entwined   から to get in a tangle with   からめる to entwine   
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カク   たし certain   たしかめる to make certain   
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ニン   みとめる to recognize, to perceive, to approve of   
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シツ   シチ   チ    quality; substance   
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モン   と question   と to ask   とん wholesale   
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ゴ   ギョ   honorific prefix   おん-    
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