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Keigo Polite Japanese: Navigating Formal Speech Levels

By JAPN Published · Updated

Keigo Polite Japanese: Navigating Formal Speech Levels

Three Levels

Keigo (honorific language) encompasses three levels: sonkeigo (respectful language elevating others’ actions), kenjougo (humble language lowering your own actions), and teineigo (polite language using desu/masu forms). In sonkeigo, taberu (eat) becomes meshiagaru, iku (go) becomes irassharu, and suru (do) becomes nasaru. In kenjougo, taberu becomes itadaku, iku becomes mairu, and suru becomes itasu. Teineigo simply adds desu and masu to standard forms.

For travelers, consistent use of teineigo (desu/masu forms) provides appropriate politeness in virtually all situations. Full sonkeigo and kenjougo are used in business settings, formal ceremonies, and when addressing customers, teachers, and social superiors. Japanese people do not expect foreigners to master keigo and appreciate the effort of using basic desu/masu forms correctly. Learning a few key keigo phrases like itadakimasu and gochisousama deshita shows cultural awareness without requiring full command of the system.

Practical Keigo

At hotels and shops, staff use keigo to address you, creating sentences that sound very different from textbook Japanese. Recognizing common keigo forms helps comprehension: irasshaimase (welcome, heard at every shop entrance), kashikomarimashita (certainly, understood), and osore irimasu ga (I’m terribly sorry but) precede requests or bad news. The phrase shitsurei shimasu (I am being rude) is used when entering or leaving offices, passing in front of someone, or ending phone calls.

Levels of Politeness

Japanese politeness operates on three main levels visible to visitors. Casual speech (tameguchi) uses dictionary-form verbs and drops particles, used among close friends and family: taberu (eat), iku (go), ii (good). Polite speech (teineigo) uses masu/desu endings and is the default for strangers and shops: tabemasu, ikimasu, ii desu. Honorific speech (keigo) splits into sonkeigo (elevating the listener’s actions: meshiagaru instead of taberu for “you eat”) and kenjougo (humbling your own actions: itadaku instead of taberu for “I eat”). Service workers at hotels, restaurants, and department stores use keigo automatically, producing phrases that even intermediate Japanese learners cannot parse. The practical advice for visitors: always use teineigo (masu/desu form) and you will be considered perfectly polite. Attempting keigo without mastery risks using the wrong level and creating awkwardness rather than respect.

The practical importance of understanding keigo levels for visitors extends to reading signs and announcements, which use formal language. Train announcements use sonkeigo when addressing passengers, producing phrases like go-chuui kudasai (please be careful, with the honorific go- prefix) and o-machikudasai (please wait, with the honorific o- prefix). Restaurant staff use kenjougo when describing their own actions and sonkeigo when referring to yours, creating conversations that sound very different from textbook Japanese but follow logical politeness patterns once you understand the system.

When to Use Which Level

Navigating keigo requires reading the social context rather than memorizing rigid rules. Default to desu-masu (polite form) with anyone you do not know well, regardless of apparent age or status. Use casual form only after the other person explicitly switches to it or after months of friendship. In business, sonkeigo is used when describing your client’s or superior’s actions (shachou ga osshaimashita, the president said), while kenjougo describes your own company’s actions to outsiders (watakushi ga moushimasu, I humbly say).

Common keigo verbs differ completely from their plain forms: iku (to go) becomes irassharu in sonkeigo and mairu in kenjougo. Taberu (to eat) becomes meshiagaru in sonkeigo and itadaku in kenjougo. Suru (to do) becomes nasaru in sonkeigo and itasu in kenjougo. These irregular forms must be memorized individually, as they do not follow conjugation patterns. Even many native Japanese speakers struggle with keigo in unfamiliar formal situations, particularly younger generations who encounter fewer formal contexts in daily life. When in doubt, err toward more polite: excessive politeness may sound stiff but will never cause offense, while insufficient politeness can damage relationships irreparably in professional settings.

This content is for informational purposes only and reflects independent research. Details may change — verify current information before making travel plans.