Understanding keigo: Japanese honorific language without despair
Sakuraflow
Few topics intimidate Japanese learners as much as keigo, the Japanese system of honorific language. Three levels, special verb forms, and supposedly every mistake is an insult? Time for some reassurance. In this article you will learn how keigo actually works, which level you truly need as a learner, and why even Japanese people only properly learn keigo once they start working. Spoiler: you can relax.
What is keigo anyway?
Keigo (敬語) literally means respectful language. It is not a separate dialect but a system through which Japanese makes social relationships visible inside the sentence: who is talking to whom, who ranks above whom, how close the people are. English mostly signals this with word choice and tone. Japanese has explicit levels, and they live mainly in the verbs. That sounds like a lot, but it follows a clear logic with exactly three levels.
The three levels
Level one: teineigo (丁寧語), the polite base form. These are the です and ます endings you know from every textbook. Teineigo makes your speech neutrally polite without elevating or lowering anyone. It is the standard register for talking to strangers, in shops, in class. When you learn Japanese, you automatically learn teineigo first.
Level two: sonkeigo (尊敬語), respectful language. With sonkeigo you elevate the actions of other people, for example your boss or a customer. 食べる (taberu, to eat) becomes 召し上がる (meshiagaru) when the boss eats. Level three: kenjōgo (謙譲語), humble language. With kenjōgo you lower your own actions when speaking to someone above you. When you eat, 食べる becomes いただく (itadaku). The rule of thumb: sonkeigo lifts others up, kenjōgo makes yourself small. Together they create the distance of respect.
The most important verbs compared
The special thing about sonkeigo and kenjōgo: the most common verbs have completely separate forms that cannot be derived, only learned. The good news: only about a dozen verbs cover most of daily life. Here are the three most important ones.
| Base form | Sonkeigo (about others) | Kenjōgo (about yourself) |
|---|---|---|
| 食べる (taberu, to eat) | 召し上がる (meshiagaru) | いただく (itadaku) |
| 行く (iku, to go) | いらっしゃる (irassharu) | 参る (mairu) |
| 見る (miru, to see) | ご覧になる (goran ni naru) | 拝見する (haiken suru) |
Does いただく look familiar? That is exactly where いただきます before a meal comes from: it is the humble form of to receive, so literally I humbly receive this meal. Little aha moments like this suddenly make keigo far less abstract.
When do you need which level?
Here is the most important message of this article: as a learner, clean teineigo will carry you for a very long time. With です and ます you are polite enough in every situation, from restaurants to government offices. Nobody expects sonkeigo from a foreigner, and friendly, correct teineigo comes across far better than strained, half correct keigo. The realistic order looks like this.
- 1Master teineigo actively: です, ます, お願いします. This is your everyday register and your foundation.
- 2Recognise sonkeigo and kenjōgo passively: you do not need to say いらっしゃいませ, but you should understand you are being greeted.
- 3Only once you work or study in Japan does active keigo training pay off. Before that it is premature optimisation.
Convenience store keigo: politeness you can hear every day
The best place to hear keigo in the wild is the convenience store. Staff speak to customers in a fixed, highly ritualised polite register that you hear again on every single visit. Perfect listening practice, because the phrases never change.
- いらっしゃいませ (irasshaimase): welcome! The greeting in every shop, derived from the sonkeigo verb いらっしゃる.
- 〜でよろしいでしょうか (de yoroshii deshō ka): would that be all right? The extra polite confirmation question at the till.
- 少々お待ちください (shōshō omachi kudasai): please wait a moment.
- ありがとうございました (arigatō gozaimashita): thank you very much, in the past tense because the purchase is complete.
Reassurance: even Japanese people learn keigo late
In case you are wondering how Japanese people manage all this: often with difficulty themselves. Most only properly learn keigo when they enter the workforce, in job hunting seminars and company training. Japan has entire bookshelves of keigo guides for young employees, and incorrect keigo from native speakers is a perennial topic. So if even native speakers take courses for this, you are allowed to be generous with yourself as a learner. Keigo is not an entry barrier to Japanese, it is an advanced module for later.
Frequently asked questions
Am I being rude if I do not use keigo?
No. As long as you use teineigo, meaning です and ます, you are polite in every everyday situation. Only using plain casual speech with strangers would be rude, for example 食べる? instead of 食べますか. As a learner using teineigo you are always on the safe side.
At which JLPT level does keigo appear?
The basic sonkeigo and kenjōgo forms appear from N4 and are properly tested at N3. For N5 you only need teineigo. So it is completely fine to tackle keigo systematically only once your core grammar is solid.
What is the best way to practise keigo?
Passively first: pay attention to the fixed formulas at convenience stores, hotels and in Japanese shows. Then actively with the twelve most common special verbs from tables like the one in this article. Role plays help enormously, for example a phone call with a company or a conversation with a professor.
Keigo is not a monster, it is a system with three clear levels, and as a learner you only need one of them actively at first. Build solid teineigo, collect sonkeigo and kenjōgo through listening, and the rest will come when you need it. In Sakuraflow the polite forms appear from day one in real everyday dialogues, in exactly the dose that fits your level.
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