Honorific and humble words – keigo
Meaning, explanation and example sentences with translations.
いらっしゃる · to go, come or be — said of the other person
いらっしゃる is the honorific form of 行く・来る・いる. It describes the other person's action and raises that person. The form follows from no rule — it has to be memorised.
Examples
- 明日は何時にいらっしゃいますか。
おっしゃる · to say — said of the other person
おっしゃる is the honorific form of 言う. It describes the other person's action and raises that person. The form follows from no rule — it has to be memorised.
Examples
- お名前は何とおっしゃいますか。
なさる · to do — said of the other person
なさる is the honorific form of する. It describes the other person's action and raises that person. The form follows from no rule — it has to be memorised.
Examples
- ご注文はどうなさいますか。
ご覧になる · to look at — said of the other person
ご覧になる is the honorific form of 見る. It describes the other person's action and raises that person. The form follows from no rule — it has to be memorised.
Examples
- この資料をご覧になりますか。
召し上がる · to eat or drink — said of the other person
召し上がる is the honorific form of 食べる・飲む. It describes the other person's action and raises that person. The form follows from no rule — it has to be memorised.
Examples
- 何を召し上がりますか。
くださる · to give to me, or to do something for me — said of the other person
くださる is the honorific form of くれる. It describes the other person's action and raises that person. The form follows from no rule — it has to be memorised.
Examples
- いつも手伝ってくださいます。
ご存じだ · to know — said of the other person
ご存じだ is the honorific form of 知っている. It describes the other person's action and raises that person. The form follows from no rule — it has to be memorised.
Examples
- この店をご存じですか。
お休みになる · to go to sleep — said of the other person
お休みになる is the honorific form of 寝る. This is the お〜になる pattern applied to 休む, so the ending is regular. The one thing to memorise is the verb: someone's sleep is spoken of with 休む, not 寝る.
Examples
- 何時にお休みになりますか。
伺う · to go to someone, or to ask them something — said of oneself
伺う is the humble form of 行く・来る・聞く. It describes one's own action and raises **the person it is directed at** — that is what makes it 謙譲語Ⅰ. Its twin 参る (謙譲語Ⅱ) describes the same act but raises nobody. The form follows from no rule — it has to be memorised.
Examples
- 明日、三時に伺います。
申し上げる · to say to someone one respects
申し上げる is the humble form of 言う. It describes one's own action and raises **the person it is directed at** — that is what makes it 謙譲語Ⅰ. Its twin 申す (謙譲語Ⅱ) describes the same act but raises nobody. The form follows from no rule — it has to be memorised.
Examples
- お礼を申し上げます。
拝見する · to look at — said of oneself, humbly
拝見する is the humble form of 見る. It describes one's own action and raises **the person it is directed at** — that is what makes it 謙譲語Ⅰ. The form follows from no rule — it has to be memorised.
Examples
- 資料を拝見します。
いただく · to receive, eat or drink — said of oneself
いただく is the humble form of もらう・食べる・飲む. This entry asks about the もらう sense, the one in the example sentence. It lowers your own receiving and by doing so raises the giver — which is what makes it 謙譲語Ⅰ. In eating and drinking there is no giver and so nobody to raise: the same form then belongs to 謙譲語Ⅱ, like まいる and 申す.
Examples
- 部長に資料をいただきます。
お目にかかる · to meet someone of higher standing
お目にかかる is the humble form of 会う. It describes one's own action and raises **the person it is directed at** — that is what makes it 謙譲語Ⅰ. The form follows from no rule — it has to be memorised.
Examples
- 来週お目にかかります。
承る · to take an order from a customer, or accept a task entrusted to you
承る is the humble form of 聞く・引き受ける. It describes one's own action and raises **the person it is directed at** — that is what makes it 謙譲語Ⅰ. The form follows from no rule — it has to be memorised.
Examples
- ご注文を承ります。
まいる · to go or come — said modestly of oneself
まいる is the humble (丁重語) form of 行く・来る. It describes one's own action modestly **towards the listener**, but raises nobody the act is directed at — that is what makes it 謙譲語Ⅱ・丁重語. The form follows from no rule — it has to be memorised.
Examples
- ただいままいります。
申す · to say, or to be called — said modestly of oneself
申す is the humble (丁重語) form of 言う. It describes one's own action modestly **towards the listener**, but raises nobody the act is directed at — that is what makes it 謙譲語Ⅱ・丁重語. The form follows from no rule — it has to be memorised.
Examples
- 田中と申します。
いたす · to do — said modestly of oneself
いたす is the humble (丁重語) form of する. It describes one's own action modestly **towards the listener**, but raises nobody the act is directed at — that is what makes it 謙譲語Ⅱ・丁重語. The form follows from no rule — it has to be memorised.
Examples
- 準備はこちらでいたします。
おる · to be — said modestly of oneself
おる is the humble (丁重語) form of いる. It describes one's own action modestly **towards the listener**, but raises nobody the act is directed at — that is what makes it 謙譲語Ⅱ・丁重語. The form follows from no rule — it has to be memorised.
Examples
- 明日は一日社におります。
存じる · to know or think — said modestly
存じる is the humble (丁重語) form of 知る・思う. It describes one's own knowing modestly **towards the listener**, raising nobody — 謙譲語Ⅱ・丁重語. When what is known is a person one respects, the form changes: 先生を存じ上げております. 存じ上げる raises that person and belongs to 謙譲語Ⅰ.
Examples
- ありがたく存じます。
Where this comes from
Everything above comes from the free part of the Keigo app and has passed its content review.
- Keigo: Polite JapaneseFormal Japanese for work
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