The four registers of Japanese politeness — and how to read them in the wild.
Japanese politeness climbs in steps. Each rung changes the verb endings and the words you choose; learn to hear which rung someone is standing on.
Casual speech for people you’re close to.
Recognize it by
verb (る・う), だVerbs stay in their dictionary form and the copula is だ. This is how you think and how you talk with people you’re close to.
〜た ・ 〜ないPast is 〜た and negative is 〜ない — no です/ます anywhere.
The neutral, safe default with people you don’t know well.
Recognize it by
stem + ますAttach ます to the verb stem. Past is ました, negative ません. This is the everyday polite default.
noun ・ な-adj + ですです politely links nouns and な-adjectives. Past is でした.
〜でございます ・ ございますAn extra-polite replacement for です / ある, common in shops and formal settings. Still 丁寧語 — it raises no one, it just sounds refined.
Raises the other person — never used about your own actions.
Recognize it by
お + verb-stem + になるThe regular respectful pattern for the other person’s actions. Use ご + Sino-Japanese verb-noun + になる for 漢語 verbs.
いらっしゃる, 召し上がる, ご覧になる…High-frequency verbs have their own respectful forms you simply memorise — see the verb ladder below.
verb + れる ・ られるA lighter respectful form, identical in shape to the passive. Very common in spoken business Japanese.
お名前, ご住所Prefix native words with お and Sino-Japanese words with ご to show respect for what belongs to the other person.
Lowers your own actions to defer to the other person. The mirror image of 尊敬語 — same height of politeness, but pointed at yourself.
Recognize it by
お + verb-stem + するThe regular humble pattern for your own actions that affect the other person. いたす is an even humbler する.
参る, 申す, 伺う, いただく…Core verbs have dedicated humble forms — see the verb ladder below.
〜て + おりますA humble replacement for 〜ている, everywhere in business email and on the phone.
The same verb often changes shape — or disappears — as politeness rises. Some forms are special verbs you memorize, some use the regular お〜 pattern, and some registers simply have no distinct form.
| Verb | タメ口 | 丁寧語 | 尊敬語 | 謙譲語 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| するto do | する | します お〜 pattern | なさる special verb | いたす special verb |
| いるto be / exist (animate) | いる | います お〜 pattern | いらっしゃる special verb | おる special verb |
| 行くto go | 行く | 行きます お〜 pattern | いらっしゃる special verb Also おいでになる. Same word covers 行く・来る・いる. | 参る special verb 伺う (うかがう) when going to someone you respect. |
| 来るto come | 来る | 来ます お〜 pattern | いらっしゃる special verb Also お見えになる ・ おいでになる. | 参る special verb |
| 言うto say | 言う | 言います お〜 pattern | おっしゃる special verb | 申す special verb 申し上げる (もうしあげる) when speaking to a superior. |
| 食べるto eat | 食べる | 食べます お〜 pattern | 召し上がる special verb | いただく special verb |
| 飲むto drink | 飲む | 飲みます お〜 pattern | 召し上がる special verb Same respectful verb as 食べる. | いただく special verb |
| 見るto see / look | 見る | 見ます お〜 pattern | ご覧になる special verb | 拝見する special verb |
| 聞くto ask / hear | 聞く | 聞きます お〜 pattern | お聞きになる お〜 pattern Regular お〜になる — no special verb. | 伺う special verb Means both ‘ask’ and ‘visit’ humbly. |
| 会うto meet | 会う | 会います お〜 pattern | お会いになる お〜 pattern | お目にかかる special verb |
| 知っているto know | 知っている | 知っています お〜 pattern | ご存じだ special verb | 存じ上げる special verb 存じております for facts/things. |
| もらうto receive | もらう | もらいます お〜 pattern | – Receiving is your own action, so there is no respectful form — use 尊敬語 for the *giver’s* act instead. | いただく special verb 頂戴する (ちょうだいする) is even humbler. |
| くれるto give (to me) | くれる | くれます お〜 pattern | くださる special verb | – The giver acts toward you, so humbling your own side doesn’t apply. |
Most keigo you meet is a handful of set phrases. Spot the signal, and the register — and the meaning — falls into place.
Service Japanese leans hard on 尊敬語 for the customer and 謙譲語 for the staff. You’ll hear these constantly.
いらっしゃいませ
尊敬語Welcome (please come in).
The respectful いらっしゃる as a set greeting — nobody says it casually.
少々お待ちください
尊敬語Please wait a moment.
千円でございます
丁寧語That’ll be 1,000 yen.
ございます is refined 丁寧語 — it doesn’t raise the customer, it just sounds formal.
かしこまりました
謙譲語Certainly. / Understood.
Humble acknowledgement from staff — stronger than 分かりました.
ご注文を承りました
謙譲語I’ve taken your order.
承る (うけたまわる) = to humbly receive/accept.
ご注文はお決まりですか
尊敬語Have you decided what to order?
Email and phone Japanese is mostly 謙譲語 about your own side and 尊敬語 about the other company. A handful of set phrases do the heavy lifting.
お世話になっております
謙譲語Thank you for your continued support.
The standard opening line of almost every business email.
よろしくお願いいたします
謙譲語Thank you in advance. / I look forward to it.
申し訳ございません
謙譲語I’m terribly sorry.
資料を拝見しました
謙譲語I’ve seen / read your document.
ご確認ください
尊敬語Please check / confirm.
部長がおっしゃった通りです
尊敬語It’s just as the manager said.
Stations, stores, and public spaces address everyone at once, so they default to 尊敬語 requests — and the railway humbly uses 謙譲語 about itself.
まもなく電車が参ります
謙譲語The train will arrive shortly.
The railway uses humble 参る about its own train as a courtesy to passengers.
足元にお気をつけください
尊敬語Please watch your step.
おタバコはご遠慮ください
尊敬語Please refrain from smoking.
ご利用ありがとうございます
尊敬語Thank you for your patronage.