尊敬語
This style is to show respect to someone of higher position, like a superior or a customer, when speaking to them. You should never use 尊敬語 form to refer to yourself. The usage of 尊敬語 is difficult to understand, and characterized by lengthy polite sentences. Whereby, common verbs will change for more polite ones and some will even change into a respectful form.
English | Regular | Honorofic Form |
---|---|---|
Is Mr. Tanaka here? | すみません、田中先生はいますか。 Sumimasen, tanaka-sensei wa imasuka | すみません、田中先生はいらっしゃいますか Sumimasen, tanaka-sensei wa irasshaimasuka |
How was the interview? | 面接はどうでしたか。 Mensetsu wa dou deshitaka | 面接はいかがでしたか。 Mensetsu wa ikaga deshitaka |
Special Verbs
Regular verbs
When used with a noun, it is preceded by either お (o) or ご (go), but is limited to only nouns which indicate actions (suru verbs).
For verb, erase the ます and add になる.
English | Honorific Form |
---|---|
Verb | お + Verb |
Verb | お + Verb |
Noun | お/ご + Noun + になる |
例文
部長はいつ海外からお戻りになりますか。
課長はもうお帰りになりました。
お入りください。 Please enter.
Passive Form かんたん尊敬語
山田さん、もうレポートを書かれましたか。