Grammar detail: an introduction to 敬語（けいご）and politeness in Japanese

Nouns can be made 'more polite' by prefixing them with either お or ご. In general, お is used for words of Japanese origin and ご is used for words of Chinese origin, but there are exceptions, and it is best to learn the most common words. In some cases, the お or ご form of a word has become the generally accepted form, such as お

かね

金

, お

ちゃ

茶

or お

みせ

店

.

These forms are collectively known as

ていねいご

丁寧語

(polite language).

In addition to the plain and polite forms, however, 敬語 encompasses two more concepts. Using these concepts correctly is tricky even for native speakers, because not only do they require slightly different vocabulary and grammar, they also require a conceptual understanding of exactly when to apply each form. The concepts are the 'honorific', which is used when talking about a third person, and the 'humble', which is used when talking about yourself. The basic idea is that to be extremely polite, you want to 'honor' the person you are talking to or about, and you want to 'humble' yourself.

Generally speaking, you will only need to use the honorific and humble forms yourself in formal situations - speeches, special events etc. However, you will hear them used quite a lot, because they are used for example in shops and restaurants. So it is worth familiarizing yourself with the idea quite early on, and then learning specific examples as you encounter them.

Honorific forms are used when you are talking about a third party. In many situations, you can simply swap a standard verb for an honorific verb. In other cases, if a specific honorific verb does not exist, you can use an honorific form of the standard verb.

Honorific alternatives exist for many standard verbs, and in some cases there are multiple alternatives. Here are some of the most common:

Any verb can be made honorific by using the お + になる form.

Another common approach is to use the passive form of a verb - the passive form is considered honorific.

These forms are known as

そんけいご

尊敬語

(honorific language).

Humble forms are used when you are talking about yourself. Essentially you are showing respect to your listeners by using humble terms for words or actions that refer to yourself.

Any verb can be made humble by using the お + する form (sometimes called the affirmative humble form).

These forms are known as

けんじょうご

謙譲語

(humble language).