{"id":106351,"date":"2023-09-20T09:20:50","date_gmt":"2023-09-20T13:20:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/japanese-keigo\/"},"modified":"2025-02-23T22:50:27","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T03:50:27","slug":"japanese-keigo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/japanese-keigo\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese Keigo: Everything You Need to Know to Be Polite"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you have studied Japanese for just one day, then you know there’s a polite way<\/a>\u00a0and a\u00a0colloquial way\u00a0to say almost everything.<\/p>\n

But when you visit Japan, you can’t understand what the cashier is saying. The announcements on the train include words you’ve never heard before.<\/p>\n

The type of speech they’re using is all called\u00a0keig<\/em>o, \u656c\u8a9e (\u3051\u3044\u3054)<\/strong>, and this post will teach you everything you need to know about this super-polite, respectful way of speaking.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What’s Japanese\u00a0Keigo<\/em>?<\/h2>\n

\u656c\u8a9e\u00a0is a super polite form of Japanese used to either convey humility<\/a> or respect.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a unique and beautiful part of the Japanese language and it gives learners insights about Japan\u2019s culture of honor and respect. This is the kind of language you would use when talking to the Emperor, the Prime Minister or even just your girlfriend\u2019s grandparents.<\/p>\n

So you might think \u656c\u8a9e isn\u2019t useful. You might be thinking, \u201cI’ll never be in a situation where I’ll use this.\u201d<\/p>\n

You would be wrong.<\/p>\n

Not only is basic \u656c\u8a9e\u00a0used when you introduce yourself to your superiors in a company setting, or when you are addressing a client, patient or customer, it’s also something you’ll hear every day in Japan.<\/p>\n

When you visit or\u00a0live in Japan<\/a>, chances are, in almost every public interaction, \u656c\u8a9e\u00a0<\/em>will be used. Whether it\u2019s uttered by the cashier at the restaurant when you pay for your meal or by the cash machine\u2019s computerized voice when you withdraw money from the ATM, \u656c\u8a9e\u00a0is something you’ll quickly become used to.<\/p>\n

There are two parts to \u656c\u8a9e: \u5c0a\u656c\u8a9e<\/strong>\u00a0(\u305d\u3093\u3051\u3044\u3054) and \u8b19\u8b72\u8a9e<\/strong> (\u3051\u3093\u3058\u3087\u3046\u3054). Plus, there are some humble and formal words that you’ll need to use within these types of speech. So, let’s get started.<\/p>\n

1. \u5c0a\u656c\u8a9e (\u305d\u3093\u3051\u3044\u3054) \u2014 Honorific Language to Use with Others<\/h2>\n

How Is It Used?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u5c0a\u656c\u8a9e\u00a0is the language used to show respect to others. You conjugate verbs into \u5c0a\u656c\u8a9e\u00a0only when you’re talking about someone else in a higher social status than yourself (your superiors at work, people older than yourself, etc.) Because of this, you would never<\/strong> use \u5c0a\u656c\u8a9e\u00a0when talking about yourself or your close family members.<\/p>\n

Special Cases<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For some verbs, you can just replace them with a more polite word. This is very easy because you don\u2019t have to deal with all the pesky rules of conjugations. Here’s the list of the special cases:<\/p>\n