Japanese Honorifics Sonkeigo and Kenjougo

What is Keigo

In Japanese, politeness is built directly into the grammar. While the standard polite form (using and ) is sufficient for everyday interactions, business settings and formal situations require a deeper level of politeness called Keigo (敬語 - Honorific Language).

Keigo is essential in Japanese society because it establishes the social relationship and relative status between the speaker, the listener, and anyone being talked about. It is commonly used when speaking to customers, superiors, or elders.

Keigo is divided into three main categories:

• Teineigo (丁寧語): Standard polite language (です/ます).
• Sonkeigo (尊敬語): Respectful language used to elevate someone else.
• Kenjōgo (謙譲語): Humble language used to lower yourself.

The Prefix O and Go

Before looking at verbs, the simplest way to make your Japanese more polite is by adding an honorific prefix to nouns. This literally translates to calling an object "honorable," but in practice, it just softens the word and shows refinement.

There are two main prefixes: and .

As a general rule, is attached to words of Japanese origin (Kun'yomi readings), while is attached to words of Chinese origin (On'yomi readings). For more on these reading types, see the guide on On/Kun Readings.

Note: Some words have become so permanently attached to their prefixes that dropping them sounds unnatural. For example, is almost never spoken as just "han".

Respectful Language Sonkeigo

Sonkeigo (尊敬語) is used to describe the actions of someone you respect. You use this to elevate the listener or a third party (like a boss, a customer, or a teacher). You must never use Sonkeigo for your own actions.

While there are grammatical patterns to turn any verb into respectful language, the most common everyday actions have entirely unique replacement verbs.

Special Respectful Verbs

Notice that covers three different verbs: to be, to go, and to come. You have to rely on the context and the Introduction to Japanese Particles used in the sentence to know which one is meant.

Humble Language Kenjougo

Kenjōgo (謙譲語) is the exact opposite of Sonkeigo. It is used to describe your own actions (or the actions of your in-group, like your family or your company) when speaking to someone of higher status.

Instead of elevating the listener, you lower yourself. By making your own actions sound humble, you indirectly show respect to the person you are talking to.

Special Humble Verbs

Just like with Sonkeigo, the most common verbs have completely unique humble equivalents.

The verb is heavily used in Japanese. It is the humble form of eating and drinking, but it is also the humble form of "to receive." This is why Japanese people say "Itadakimasu" before a meal—literally meaning "I humbly receive [this food]." For more on this concept, see the guide on Giving and Receiving Verbs Ageru, Kureru, Morau.

Keigo in Practice

To see how respectful and humble language interact, look at a standard interaction between a shop clerk and a customer. The clerk uses Kenjougo to lower themselves and Sonkeigo to elevate the customer.

Notice that the customer simply uses standard polite language (). Because they are the customer, they hold the higher social position in this transaction and do not need to use humble language.

Study Tips

Learning Keigo can feel like learning an entirely new set of vocabulary on top of what you already know.

If you do not plan to work in a Japanese corporate environment or in customer service, you do not need to perfectly memorize how to produce every Keigo sentence. Standard polite Japanese (Teineigo) is perfectly acceptable for tourists, students, and everyday conversations.

However, recognizing Keigo is highly beneficial. You will hear store clerks, train announcements, and news anchors using these forms constantly.

Rather than grinding through flashcards of polite verb conjugations, focus on familiarizing yourself with the special verbs listed above. Once you know that means "to be/come/go", you will start noticing it everywhere during your listening practice. Over time, through consistent A Practical Guide to Language Immersion, the social nuances of these words will become second nature.