Japanese Keigo: Understanding Honorific Language Forms

What Is Keigo in Japanese?

Here's the thing about learning Japanese: you can master hiragana, katakana, and even a few hundred kanji, but the moment you step into a Japanese workplace or meet someone's parents, you'll hit a wall called keigo (敬語).

Keigo refers to the honorific language system in Japanese that shows respect, maintains social harmony, and acknowledges hierarchy. The term 敬語 literally breaks down into kei (敬) meaning "respect" and go (語) meaning "language." While English has polite phrases like "could you please" or "sir/ma'am," Japanese keigo transforms entire verb structures, vocabulary choices, and sentence patterns based on who you're talking to and about.

Japanese keigo can feel overwhelming at first because the Japanese language doesn't just add polite words on top of regular speech. The whole structure changes. A simple verb like taberu (食べる) meaning "to eat" becomes meshiagaru (召し上がる) in respectful contexts or itadaku (いただく) in humble situations. Pretty wild, right?

The cultural importance of keigo runs deep in Japanese society. Using appropriate honorific speech demonstrates that you understand social relationships, respect hierarchy, and care about maintaining wa (和), the concept of group harmony. Japanese people start learning the nuances of keigo formally in school and continue refining their usage throughout their careers.

The Three Types of Keigo

What are the three types of keigo? The Japanese honorific system divides into three main categories: sonkeigo (尊敬語), kenjougo (謙譲語), and teineigo (丁寧語). Each serves a distinct purpose in showing respect and maintaining appropriate social distance.

Sonkeigo: Respectful Language

Sonkeigo (尊敬語) elevates the actions of someone you want to show respect toward. You use sonkeigo when talking about your boss, customers, teachers, or anyone of higher social status. The respectful language literally raises their actions above yours.

Common sonkeigo transformations include adding the prefix o (お) or go (ご) before nouns and verbs. For example, namae (名前) meaning "name" becomes o-namae (お名前) when referring to someone else's name respectfully. The verb kaku (書く) meaning "to write" transforms into o-kaki ni naru (お書きになる) in sonkeigo form.

Some verbs have special sonkeigo forms that replace the standard verb entirely:

You'd use sonkeigo in sentences like "Shachou wa mou irasshaimashita ka?" (社長はもういらっしゃいましたか？) meaning "Has the company president arrived yet?" The verb irasshaimashita shows respect to the superior being discussed.

Kenjougo: Humble Language

Kenjougo (謙譲語), also called humble language or humble form, works opposite to sonkeigo. Instead of elevating others, you lower your own actions to show respect. This might sound weird if you're not familiar with hierarchical language systems, but humble language demonstrates modesty and deference.

The humble form appears when you talk about your own actions in relation to someone of higher status. Common kenjougo verbs include:

A typical kenjougo sentence would be "Ashita ukagaimasu" (明日伺います) meaning "I will visit (you) tomorrow." The verb ukagaimasu humbles your action of visiting someone who deserves respect.

The prefix o (お) or go (ご) combined with verb stem plus suru (する) also creates humble language patterns. For example, "I will contact you" becomes "go-renraku itashimasu" (ご連絡いたします), where itasu (致す) serves as the humble form of suru (する).

Teineigo: Polite Language

Teineigo (丁寧語) represents the foundational level of polite language that most Japanese learners encounter first. This polite form uses the masu (ます) and desu (です) endings you probably learned in your first Japanese lessons.

Unlike sonkeigo and kenjougo, teineigo doesn't specifically elevate or humble anyone. The polite language simply adds general courtesy to your speech, making it appropriate for most everyday situations with people outside your close circle.

Basic teineigo conjugations follow predictable patterns:

You'd use teineigo when talking to coworkers of similar rank, acquaintances, store clerks, or in any situation where casual speech feels too informal but heavy honorifics seem excessive. Sentences like "Kyou wa atsui desu ne" (今日は暑いですね) meaning "Today is hot, isn't it?" demonstrate standard teineigo politeness.

When to Use Keigo Japanese

Which Japanese honorific to use depends entirely on context, relationship dynamics, and social settings. Here's where things get practical.

Business settings demand the most rigorous keigo usage. When speaking with clients, use sonkeigo for their actions and kenjougo for yours. "Shachou ga osshatta toori ni itashimasu" (社長がおっしゃった通りに致します) meaning "I will do as the president said" combines osshatta (respectful form of "said") with itashimasu (humble form of "do").

Customer service in Japan relies heavily on keigo. Retail workers, restaurant staff, and service professionals consistently use respectful language toward customers. You'll hear "Irasshaimase" (いらっしゃいませ) meaning "welcome" and "Kashikomarimashita" (かしこまりました) meaning "certainly/understood" constantly in shops.

Meeting superiors like your boss's boss, professors, or elders requires careful keigo selection. Stick with sonkeigo when discussing their actions and kenjougo or teineigo for your own. The formality level should match or exceed what others use toward that person.

Email communication in professional contexts typically employs written keigo forms. Business emails open with set phrases using humble language like "Itsumo osewa ni natte orimasu" (いつもお世話になっております) roughly meaning "Thank you for your continued support."

Casual situations with friends, family, or close colleagues of equal status don't require keigo at all. Using keigo with close friends actually creates distance and feels weird. You'd drop down to casual forms like taberu (食べる) instead of tabemasu (食べます).

The trickiest part? Japanese people constantly adjust their keigo level mid-conversation based on shifting contexts. You might use casual speech with a coworker during lunch, then switch to teineigo when others join, then elevate to full keigo when the department head walks by.

Verb Conjugations and Prefix Patterns

Understanding keigo verb transformations helps you recognize and produce honorific speech more naturally. Let me break down the main patterns.

Sonkeigo verb construction often follows the pattern: o + verb stem + ni naru (お + verb stem + になる).

The passive form also functions as sonkeigo for many verbs. Yomu (読む) can become yomareru (読まれる) as a respectful alternative.

Kenjougo verb construction typically uses: o + verb stem + suru (お + verb stem + する) or o + verb stem + itasu (お + verb stem + 致す).

Prefix usage matters beyond just verbs. The prefix o (お) typically attaches to native Japanese words (wago), while go (ご) pairs with Chinese-origin words (kango):

Some words take the honorific prefix so commonly that dropping it sounds unnatural, even in casual speech. You'd almost always say o-cha (お茶) instead of just cha (茶) for tea.

Irregular keigo verbs require memorization since they don't follow standard patterns. These high-frequency verbs appear constantly in keigo contexts:

Standard → Sonkeigo → Kenjougo:

Common Mistakes Japanese Learners Make

Even intermediate learners trip over keigo regularly. Here are the mistakes I see most often:

Mixing up sonkeigo and kenjougo ranks as the most common error. Using humble language for someone else's actions or respectful language for your own actions reverses the intended meaning. Saying "Watashi ga irasshaimasu" (私がいらっしゃいます) sounds bizarre because you're elevating yourself.

Over-using keigo with friends or equals creates unnecessary distance. Some learners get so drilled on polite forms that they use teineigo everywhere, even in casual settings where it sounds stiff.

Under-using keigo in professional settings causes the opposite problem. Addressing your company president with casual forms would be seriously disrespectful.

Forgetting consistency within a conversation trips people up. If you start with keigo, maintain that level throughout unless the context shifts. Randomly dropping from sonkeigo to casual forms mid-sentence sounds careless.

Literal translation attempts from English politeness don't work. "Could you please" doesn't map directly onto Japanese grammar. You need to actually transform the verb structure.

Practical Tips to Learn Japanese Keigo

Mastering keigo takes time and exposure. Here's what actually helps:

Consume business Japanese content like dramas set in offices, news programs, or formal interviews. Pay attention to how characters adjust their speech based on who they're addressing. Shows like "Hanzawa Naoki" (半沢直樹) demonstrate workplace keigo extensively.

Practice with common phrases first before worrying about every possible conjugation. Memorize high-frequency expressions like:

Study verb pairs together so you internalize which form to use when. Create flashcards pairing standard verbs with their sonkeigo and kenjougo equivalents.

Read business emails if you can access them. Japanese business correspondence follows predictable keigo patterns that you can study and imitate.

Don't stress perfection early on. Japanese people generally appreciate foreigners attempting keigo, even imperfectly. Using teineigo consistently shows effort and respect, even if you mess up the fancier forms.

Notice the context more than memorizing rules. Watch when native speakers shift between formality levels and try to identify what triggered the change.

Does Japanese Honorific Use Hiragana, Katakana, or Kanji?

Keigo uses all three Japanese writing systems depending on the specific word. Most keigo verbs and nouns appear in kanji with hiragana for grammatical endings, just like standard Japanese. For example, irassharu (いらっしゃる) can be written in hiragana or with kanji as 居らっしゃる, though the hiragana version appears more commonly.

Formal business documents tend toward kanji-heavy keigo expressions like 拝見する (haiken suru) "to humbly see" or 申し上げる (moushiageru) "to humbly say." The kanji reinforces the formality.

Katakana rarely appears in keigo structures themselves, though you'd use standard katakana for foreign loanwords even in polite contexts. A sentence like "Koohii wo meshiagarimasu ka?" (コーヒーを召し上がりますか？) "Will you have coffee?" uses katakana for koohii (コーヒー) but kanji/hiragana for the honorific verb meshiagaru (召し上がる).

What Do We Say 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 in Japanese?

Quick side note since this question came up: the basic Japanese numbers are ichi (一) "1", ni (二) "2", san (三) "3", shi/yon (四) "4", go (五) "5", roku (六) "6", shichi/nana (七) "7", hachi (八) "8", kyuu/ku (九) "9", and juu (十) "10."

In keigo contexts, you might add the prefix o (お) when referring to quantities politely, like o-hitori (お一人) for "one person" or futari (二人) for "two people." Counters change based on what you're counting, but that's a whole different topic from keigo.

Using Keigo in Daily Life

Beyond business settings, keigo appears throughout daily Japanese life in ways that might surprise you.

Medical appointments involve keigo when speaking with doctors, who hold respected professional status. You'd use humble language for your symptoms: "Onaka ga itai n desu ga" (お腹が痛いんですが) "My stomach hurts" uses the prefix o (お) even for your own body part when speaking formally.

Restaurant interactions demonstrate teineigo and sometimes kenjougo. Calling a server with "Sumimasen" (すみません) and ordering with "Kore wo onegai shimasu" (これをお願いします) "This, please" shows basic politeness. High-end establishments might use more elaborate keigo.

Phone conversations typically require higher keigo levels than face-to-face interactions, especially for business calls. Standard phone openings use humble language extensively.

Writing thank-you notes or formal letters demands written keigo forms that can feel even more elaborate than spoken versions. Set phrases and humble expressions fill formal correspondence.

The key insight? Keigo permeates Japanese social interaction far beyond just workplace hierarchies. Understanding when and how to use keigo helps you navigate Japanese society more smoothly and shows cultural awareness that Japanese people genuinely appreciate.

Getting Comfortable with Honorific Speech

Look, keigo feels unnatural at first if you come from a language without elaborate honorific systems. English speakers especially struggle because we express politeness through word choice and tone rather than grammatical transformation.

The good news? You can communicate effectively in Japanese with solid teineigo and gradually layer in sonkeigo and kenjougo as you gain experience. Nobody expects perfect keigo from learners, and Japanese people will often help correct you gently if you mix things up.

Focus on high-frequency situations first. Master keigo for introducing yourself, making requests, apologizing, and thanking people. These scenarios cover probably 80% of your early keigo needs.

Pay attention to the keigo you hear in real contexts rather than just studying conjugation charts. The patterns start clicking when you notice them repeatedly in natural use.

Anyway, if you want to learn Japanese through actual immersion with real content, Migaku's browser extension lets you look up words and save sentences instantly while watching Japanese shows or reading articles. You'll encounter keigo in natural contexts and build your understanding way faster than textbook study alone. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.