Japanese has a whole layer of grammar for showing respect, called 敬語 (keigo). You can get through daily life with polite です/ます forms, but the moment you call a company, start a part-time job or meet your partner's parents, you'll hear words like いらっしゃる and 申します that your textbook barely mentioned. This guide explains the three main types of keigo, how sonkeigo and kenjōgo differ, and when each one is expected.
The three types of keigo
| Type | Japanese | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite language | 丁寧語 (teineigo) | Makes your speech polite to the listener | 行きます, です |
| Respectful language | 尊敬語 (sonkeigo) | Raises the actions of the person you respect | いらっしゃる |
| Humble language | 謙譲語 (kenjōgo, also written kenjougo) | Lowers your own actions toward that person | 参る, 伺う |
丁寧語 is the base layer: です, ます and ございます. It's polite to whoever you're talking to, and it's what most adult conversation between non-friends runs on.
尊敬語 and 謙譲語 are about who does the action. Sonkeigo is used for things the other person (or someone you respect) does. Kenjōgo is used for things you, or your side, do for or toward them. Both are usually combined with です/ます.
Sonkeigo vs kenjōgo: one simple test
Ask: whose action is it?
- If it's the customer's, your boss's, your teacher's or your host's action, use sonkeigo. 社長がいらっしゃいました (Shachō ga irasshaimashita, "The president has arrived").
- If it's your own action, or your company's or family's, use kenjōgo. 私が参ります (Watashi ga mairimasu, "I'll go").
Many common verbs have special keigo forms:
| Plain | 丁寧語 | 尊敬語 (their action) | 謙譲語 (your action) |
|---|---|---|---|
| する (do) | します | なさる | いたす |
| 行く (go) | 行きます | いらっしゃる | 参る / 伺う |
| 来る (come) | 来ます | いらっしゃる / お越しになる | 参る |
| いる (be) | います | いらっしゃる | おる |
| 言う (say) | 言います | おっしゃる | 申す / 申し上げる |
| 食べる (eat) | 食べます | 召し上がる | いただく |
| 見る (see) | 見ます | ご覧になる | 拝見する |
| 知っている (know) | 知っています | ご存じだ | 存じている |
| 会う (meet) | 会います | お会いになる | お目にかかる |
| くれる / あげる (give) | くれます / あげます | くださる | 差し上げる |
For verbs without a special form, there are regular patterns:
- Sonkeigo: お + verb stem + になる (お待ちになる, "you wait"), or the -れる/-られる form (行かれる). Requests use お/ご + stem + ください: お待ちください, ご確認ください.
- Kenjōgo: お/ご + verb stem + する or いたす: お持ちします ("I'll carry it"), ご案内いたします ("I'll show you the way").
伺う specifically means visiting or asking the person you're respecting. 参る is a more general humble "go/come", common in announcements and business: 電車が参ります ("A train is arriving").
です/ます vs plain form
Underneath keigo is the basic choice between polite and plain style.
- Plain form (普通形, 行く, 食べた, 暑いね) is for friends, family, children and close peers. Talking in plain form is called タメ口 (tameguchi).
- です/ます form (行きます, 食べました, 暑いですね) is for strangers, colleagues, shop staff, teachers and anyone you're not close to.
- In writing, articles, essays and reports usually use the plain である style, while letters, emails and blog posts addressed to readers often use です/ます.
Switching to plain form too early can sound presumptuous. Switching too late can sound distant. Most people follow the other person's lead.
When to use keigo
- Work. Use です/ます with colleagues and sonkeigo for your boss's actions. With customers and other companies, full keigo is expected, including kenjōgo for your own side. This is the uchi/soto (inside/outside) rule: when talking to a client, even your own boss is "inside", so you refer to them humbly and without さん. 山田はただいま席を外しております.
- Service. Staff use heavy keigo with customers: いらっしゃいませ, 少々お待ちください. As a customer, plain です/ます is perfect.
- Strangers. です/ます is the safe default. Sonkeigo for an older stranger's actions is a nice touch, but not required.
- Elders and in-laws. です/ます plus some sonkeigo (召し上がってください, お元気でいらっしゃいますか). Families vary, so take your cue from your partner.
- Teachers. Students use です/ます with teachers, and sonkeigo when talking about what the teacher does.
- Job interviews, formal emails, phone calls to companies. Full keigo, including set phrases like お世話になっております.
- Friends. Plain form. Keigo with close friends sounds cold or sarcastic.
Example sentences
Romanization follows modified Hepburn, with macrons for long vowels.
| English | Plain | です/ます (丁寧語) | Keigo |
|---|---|---|---|
| My name is Yamada. | 山田だよ。 Yamada da yo. |
山田です。 Yamada desu. |
山田と申します。 Yamada to mōshimasu. (kenjōgo) |
| What time is the teacher coming? | 先生って何時に来るの？ Sensei tte nanji ni kuru no? |
先生は何時に来ますか？ Sensei wa nanji ni kimasu ka? |
先生は何時にいらっしゃいますか？ Sensei wa nanji ni irasshaimasu ka? (sonkeigo) |
| I'll come by tomorrow. | 明日行くね。 Ashita iku ne. |
明日行きます。 Ashita ikimasu. |
明日伺います。 Ashita ukagaimasu. (kenjōgo) |
| I looked at the documents. | 資料、見たよ。 Shiryō, mita yo. |
資料を見ました。 Shiryō o mimashita. |
資料を拝見しました。 Shiryō o haiken shimashita. (kenjōgo) |
| Please, help yourself. | どうぞ、食べて。 Dōzo, tabete. |
どうぞ食べてください。 Dōzo tabete kudasai. |
どうぞ召し上がってください。 Dōzo meshiagatte kudasai. (sonkeigo) |
| Wait a moment, please. | ちょっと待って。 Chotto matte. |
ちょっと待ってください。 Chotto matte kudasai. |
少々お待ちください。 Shōshō omachi kudasai. (sonkeigo) |
| Do you know about it? | 知ってる？ Shitteru? |
知っていますか？ Shitte imasu ka? |
ご存じですか？ Gozonji desu ka? (sonkeigo) |
| Yamada isn't at his desk right now. (to an outside caller) | 山田、今いないよ。 Yamada, ima inai yo. |
山田は今いません。 Yamada wa ima imasen. |
山田はただいま席を外しております。 Yamada wa tadaima seki o hazushite orimasu. (kenjōgo) |
Common mistakes
- Using kenjōgo for the other person. どうぞいただいてください or 先生が拝見しました lowers the person you're trying to respect. Use 召し上がってください and ご覧になりました.
- Double keigo (二重敬語). おっしゃられる and お読みになられる stack two respectful forms. おっしゃる and お読みになる are enough. A few doubles, like お召し上がりになる, are accepted by custom, but don't build your own.
- Calling your own boss さん in front of clients. To an outsider, your boss is 山田 or 部長の山田, and their actions take kenjōgo.
- Overusing させていただく. It means "humbly do, with your permission". Used for everything, it sounds overdone. 休まさせていただきます is also wrong: it's 休ませていただきます.
- "Part-time job keigo." Phrases like こちらコーヒーになります and よろしかったでしょうか are common in shops but widely criticized. こちらコーヒーでございます and よろしいでしょうか are the standard forms.
FAQ
When should I use keigo as a beginner?
Use です/ます with everyone except close friends and family. Then learn to recognize the sonkeigo and kenjōgo you'll hear from staff, such as いらっしゃいませ and 少々お待ちください. Active use of full keigo matters most at work, in interviews and in formal emails.
What's the difference between sonkeigo and kenjougo?
Sonkeigo raises the person who performs the action, so you use it for what others do: いらっしゃる, おっしゃる, 召し上がる. Kenjōgo lowers the speaker's side, so you use it for what you do: 参る, 申す, いただく. The respect goes to the same person either way.
Is です/ます keigo?
Yes. です and ます are 丁寧語, polite language, which is one of the types of keigo. It's the most basic and most widely used one.
How many types of keigo are there?
Traditionally three: 丁寧語, 尊敬語 and 謙譲語. A 2007 government guideline splits them into five, separating 丁重語 (humble-polite forms like 参る and おる, aimed at the listener) and 美化語 (beautifying words like お茶 and ご飯). For learners, the three-way split is enough to start.
When can I switch to plain form?
When the other person switches first or invites you, for example with タメ口でいいよ ("You can talk casually"). With people your age in casual settings, this can happen quickly. With seniors, wait to be asked.