■ Respectful Language
Meaning: Used to show respect to the listener or the person being talked about by elevating their actions, state, or possessions.
Group 1: Change the last vowel -u to -a and add れる. (e.g., 行[い]く iku → 行[い]かれる ikaれる / 書[か]く kaku → 書[か]かれる kakaれる
Group 2: Remove る and add られる. (e.g., 食[た]べる → 食[た]べられる / 見る → 見られる
Group 3: する → される / 来る → 来[こ]られる
Target: People who are “higher” (boss, teacher, elders), “distant” (strangers), or “outside” (clients, people from other companies).
Context: Since the form is the same as the Passive Form, you must use the context to determine the meaning. (e.g., Is the teacher being returned, or is the teacher returning? Clearly, it’s the latter.)
Prefixes: Often used with 「お」 or 「ご」 for nouns belonging to the respected person (e.g., お名前[なまえ]、ご住所[じゅうしょ]).
■ お + V + になります
Meaning: A respectful way to describe the actions of a person of higher status. It expresses a higher level of respect than the passive-form style (Vられる).
お + Vます + になります
帰[かえ]ります → お帰[かえ]りになります
話[はな]します → お話[はな]しになります
待[ま]ちます → お待[ま]ちになります
Used in formal situations or when showing deep respect to a superior (CEO, professor, client).
Advantage: Unlike the passive form, this can be used with verbs like できます (→おできになります) and わかります (→おわかりになります).
Constraint 1: Group 3 verbs (します / 来[き]ます) cannot use this form.
Constraint 2: Verbs with only one syllable before 「ます」 (e.g., 見[み]ます, 寝[ね]ます, います) cannot use this form.
Constraint 3: Common verbs like 行[い]きます, 言[い]います, くれます have their own special respectful forms and do not use this pattern.
■ Special Respectful Language
Meaning: Specific verbs that have an inherent respectful meaning. These are used instead of the standard “Passive-form” or “お〜になります” patterns for certain common actions.
| Standard Verb | Respectful Form (Special) | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 行[い]く / 来[く]る / いる | いらっしゃいます | to go / come / exist |
| 食[た]べる / 飲[の]む | 召[め]し上[あ]がります | to eat / drink |
| 見[み]る | ご覧[らん]になります | to see / look |
| する | なさいます | to do |
| 言[い]う | おっしゃいます | to say |
| くれる | くださいます | to give (to me/my group) |
These special verbs represent the highest level of respect.
For “Eat/Drink,” while “お食[た]べになります” is grammatically possible, 「召[め]し上[あ]がります」 is much more common and natural in polite speech.
Note that 「いらっしゃいます」 covers three different meanings: going, coming, and being. Context will tell you which one is meant.
■ お/ご + V + ください
Meaning: Please do…” (A formal and respectful way to make a request).
Group 1 & 2: お + Vます + ください (e.g., 待[ま]つ → お待[ま]ちください)
Group 3 (Noun-based): ご + Noun + ください (e.g., 利用[りよう]する → ご利用[りよう]ください)
It is more formal and polite than the standard 「〜てください」.
Commonly used by staff to customers (restaurants, hotels) or in business settings.
Constraint 1: Verbs that cannot form 「お〜になります」 (like single-syllable ます-form verbs: 見[み]る、寝[ね]る) cannot use this pattern.
Constraint 2: Group 3 verbs 「する」 and 「来[く]る」 do not use this structure.
Exceptions: Some Group 3 verbs use 「お」 instead of 「ご」. (e.g., お電話[でんわ]ください、お洗濯[せんたく]ください)
■ Humble Language
Meaning: Used by the speaker to show respect to the listener (or the person being talked about) by lowering the speaker’s own actions. This is used when your action involves or is done for a person of higher status.
Group 1 & 2: お + Vます + します (e.g., 持[も]つ → お持[も]ちします / 書[か]く → お書[か]きします)
Group 3 (Noun-based): ご + Noun + します (e.g., 案内[あんない]する → ご案内[あんない]します / 連絡[れんらく]する → ご連絡[れんらく]します)
Target: You use this when you (the speaker) are doing something for a superior, a client, or someone “outside.”
It effectively says: “My action is humble compared to your high status.”
Constraint: Just like respectful language, some common verbs (e.g., 見[み]る、行[い]く、来[く]る) have special humble forms and do not follow this “お/ご〜します” pattern. We will learn those separately.
■ Special Humble Language
Meaning: Specific verbs that have an inherent humble meaning. These are used instead of the standard “お/ご〜します” pattern to describe the speaker’s own actions when interacting with a superior.
| Standard Verb | Humble Form (Special) | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 行[い]く / 来[く]る | 伺[うかが]います | to visit / go / come |
| 来[く]る / 行[い]く | 参[まい]ります | to come / go (general) |
| 見[み]る | 拝見[はいけん]します | to look at / see |
| 食[た]べる / 飲[の]む | いただきます | to eat / drink |
| もらう | いただきます | to receive |
伺[うかが]います vs. 参[まい]ります:
伺[うかが]います is used when visiting someone’s place (Visit).
参[まい]ります is used to politely describe your own movement (Go/Come).
いただきます:
Not only used for “eat/drink,” but also very important as a humble expression meaning “to receive (something from someone).”
拝見[はいけん]します:
The word 拝 comes from “to worship/bow,” so it expresses deep respect when looking at something that belongs to someone else.
■ Humble Language II (Teichogo)
Meaning: Polite humble language used to describe the speaker’s own actions or state towards the listener to show general politeness, even if the action is not directly done “for” someone.
Specific special verbs are used (similar to Humble Language I, but with a different focus):
言[い]う → 申[もう]します
行[い]く / 来[く]る → 参[まい]ります
いる → おります
する → いたします
Difference from Humble I: * Humble I: Used when your action is directed at/for a superior (e.g., “I will carry your bag”).
Humble II: Used to describe your own background or status politely in formal situations (e.g., “My name is…”, “I am from…”).
Usage: Commonly used in self-introductions, business speeches, and formal greetings to sound professional and refined.