Article courtesy of the Communication Suppot Committee

Takasaki International Relations Society
Let’s Learn Japanese!
Article courtesy of the Communication Suppot Committee
Use of「あげる」「もらう」「くれる」
and the Japanese culture hidden within
Words used to express the giving and receiving
of objects and acts of kindness between people are called 授受表現 (juju hogen). They allow
us to express the same action from different
viewpoints.
1. To express the giving or receiving of an object between two people, not including
oneself; e.g. between one friend and another:
①【あげる】
やまだ
山田さん
は
×小林さんは私に(から)本をもらいました。
3. Expressions used to show acts of kindness
よ
山田さんは小林さんに本を読んであげました。
Yamada read Kobayashi a book (literally
“Yamada gave Kobayashi the reading of a
book”). Yamada has ‘given’ Kobayashi the
kind act of reading him a book. This way of conjugating ageru, morau and kureru as an auxilほじょどうしようほう
iary verb is called called 補助動詞用法. The gratitude it’s use expresses is an unseen element of
Japanese culture hidden in the language.
に
こばやし
小林さん
に（から）②【もらう】
は
ほん
① 山田さんは小林さんに本をあげました。
Yamada gave Kobayashi a book.
② 小林さんは山田さんに(から)本をもらいました。
Kobayashi received a book from Yamada.
The direction the book is moving doesn’t
change, but when expressed from the point of
view of the giver (Yamada), ageru is used and
from the point of view of the receiver
(Kobayashi) morau is used.
2.
To express the giving or receiving of an object when oneself is involved :
は
に（から） ①【もらう】
わたし
山田さん
は
②【くれる】に
わたし
① 私は山田さんに(から)本をもらいました。
I received a book from Yamada.
② 山田さんは私に本をくれました。
Yamada gave me a book.
※Kureru is used to when wanting to emphasize
that Yamada is the subject (the giver). The receiver in this case is always oneself or someone
closely related to oneself. This expression is
unique to the Japanese language.
③ 私は小林さんに本をあげました。
I gave a book to Kobayashi.
【Wrong usage】
×山田さんは私に本をあげました。
×私は小林さんに本をくれました。
は
③【あげる】
に
小林さん
Takasaki International Relations Society
Let’s Learn Japanese!
Article courtesy of the Communication Suppot Committee
あいづち ̶ Words of Acknowledgement
What do the words in italics actually
mean?
さとう
やまだ
しゅっちょう
佐藤: 山田さん、出張だったそうですね。
しんしょうひん
う
こ
ちゅうごく
い
山田: はい、新商品の売り込みで中国へ行ってきまし
た。
はんのう
佐藤: へえー、そうですか。反応はいかがですか。
山田: そうですね。なかなかいいですよ。
Nodding or using words like はい, へえー,そうで
すか , and そうですね , like in the conversation
above is called 「あいづちを打つ」(aizuchi o utsu;
showing acknowledgement) in Japanese. It’s
said that Japanese people use signs of acknowledgement up to15 to 20 times in a minute.
The word aizuchi came from the way blacksmiths took cues from one another while forging
hot iron with a hammer (tsuchi o utsu means to
hit with a hammer).
You might have experienced feeling annoyed or bothered by the frequent use of such
words during a conversation. However aizuchi o
utsu sends the message that you are interested
in what the other person has to say, and helps
the conversation to flow smoothly.
Here are a few of the functions of aizuchi
words:
1. A sign that you are paying attention
Words like「はい」「ええ」「そうそう」「へえー」are
among many others.
2. A sign that you as the listener agree and sympathize with the other person.
しょうひぜい
あ
A: 消費税を上げるなんてひどいですね。(shohizei o
ageru nante hidoi desu ne; it’s so terrible that
they are going to raise the consumption tax
rate).
B: そうですね。(so desu ne; Yes, isn’t it).
3. A sign of how you feel towards the other person’s news
にほんごのうりょくしけん
いっきゅう
ごうかく
A: 日本語能力試験、 1級に合格しました。(nihongo
noryoku shiken ikkyu ni gokaku shimashita; I
passed level one of the Japanese Language
Proficiency Test)
B: ええっ ! 本当ですか。おめでとうございます。(ee!
honto desu ka; Oh! Really?)
4. A sign to continue with the story.
A: きのう、街を歩いていたら知らない人に声をかけられ
ました。(kino machi wo aruiteitara shiranai hito ni
koe o kakeraremashita; Yesterday while walking
around town, someone I didn’t know called out
to me).
B: それで、どうしましたか。(sore de do shimashitaka?; And then what happened?)
5. A sign of denial
にほんごこうざ
きょうしつ
A: 日本語講座はこの教室ですか。(nihongo kouza
wa kono kyoushitsu desu ka?; Is this the Japanese course classroom?)
つ
あ
B: いいえ、この突き当りです。(iie, kono tsuki atari
desu; no it's the one at the end).
☆When talking on the phone it’s even more important to use these kind of words since you
can’t see the other person’s face for acknowledgement.
Takasaki International Relations Society
Let’s Learn Japanese!
Article courtesy of the Communication Suppot Committee
Using Particles (joshi)
Consider the difference between
こうえん
さんぽ
公園を散歩します and 公園で散歩します
In Japanese grammar, a “particle” (joshi) attaches to a noun to define what kind of grammatical function that noun is serving in the sentence. The meaning of a particle changes depending on the noun that comes before it or
the predicate that comes after it. Some particles also have similar meanings.
1. Particles that are used with places:
(1)〔場所〕を∼ます (place + o ∼masu)
①Expresses a place that is passed through
・公園を散歩します。(koen o sanpo
shimasu; walk through the park)
Place
・橋を渡ります。(hashi o watari
masu; cross the bridge)
②Expresses a place being moved away from
・教室を出ます。(kyoshitsu o
demasu; leave the classroom)
Place
・大学を卒業します。(daigaku o
sotsugyo shimasu; graduate from
university)
(2)〔場所〕に∼ます (place + ni ∼masu)
①Expresses the place where something is
・教室にいます。(kyoshitsu ni imasu;
in the classroom)
Place
・かばんの中にあります。(kaban no
naka ni arimasu; in the bag)
②Expresses the point to be arrived at
・バスに乗ります。(basu ni norimasu; get on the bus)
Place
・空港に着きます。(kuko ni tsukimasu; arrive at the airport)
(3)〔場所〕で∼ます (place + de∼masu)
Expresses the place where an action occurs
・公園で散歩します。(koen de
sanpo shimasu; walk in the park)
Place
・会社で働きます。(kaisha de hata
rakimasu; work in a company)
2. ‘Ni’ used with nouns when expressing time:
(1) Expressions that take ‘ni’…when expressing a
specific time or calendar date
・10時に会議があります。(ju ji ni kaigi ga arimasu;
there is a meeting at 1 o’clock)
・9月13日に会います。(kugatsu jusan nichi ni aimasu; we’ll meet on the 13th September)
(2) Expressions that don’t need a particle…
nouns that express the connection with the present
・昨日、会議がありました。(kino, kaigi ga arimashita; there was a meeting yesterday)
(3) Expressions that can take it or leave it
① Nouns that express a connection with a specific point in time, other than the present
・卒業式の翌日 ( に ) パーティーがありました。
(sotsugyoshiki no yokujitsu (ni) paatii ga arimashita; there was a party the day after
graduation)
② Nouns that express a certain period of time
・夏休み(に)富士山に登りました。(natsuyasumi (ni)
Fuji-san ni noborimashita; I climbed Mt. Fuji during summer vacation)
Takasaki International Relations Society
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Article courtesy of the Communication Suppot Committee
Conjugating the “te” form
of Japanese Verbs
けい
つく
かた
うた
おぼ
「て形」の作り方 ∼歌で覚えましょう∼
書いてください (kaite kudasai; Please write) and
見てください (mite kudasai; Please look), are
words often heard in Japanese language classrooms. 道を教えてください(michi o oshiete kudasai;
Please tell me the way) and 救急車を呼んでくださ
い(kyukyusha o yonde kudasai; Please call an
ambulance) are phrases used when asking
someone to do something for you. Kaite, mite,
oshiete and yonde are called the “te” forms of
the verb. This conjugation is one of the most frequently used in the Japanese language. Verbs
are divided into 3 categories, called Ⅰ類(isshu),
Ⅱ類(ni-shu) and Ⅲ類(san-shu). See a grammar
text for exact details.
Category 2 verbs are made into the “te” form
by dropping the “masu” from the polite form of
the verb and simply replacing it with te.
見ます → 見て (mimasu → mite)
教えます → 教えて (oshiemasu → oshiete)
Category 1 verbs are made into the “te” form
by changing the sound that comes directly before the “masu” part of the polite form of a
verb.
買います → 買って (kaimasu→katte)
待ちます → 待って (machimasu→matte)
帰ります → 帰って (kaerimasu→kaette)
In other words, the i, chi, and ri sounds are
changed to a double consonant by the use of
a small hiragana tsu.
Category 3 verbs where the sound directly before the “masu” is mi, bi or ni changes to an “n”
sound:
飲みます飲んで (nomimasu→nonde)
呼びます呼んで (yobimasu→yonde)
死にます死んで (shinimasu→shinde)
･･･ ki changes to ite or gi changes to ide as in:
書きます → 書いて (kakimasu→kaite)
泳ぎます → 泳いで (oyogimasu→oyoide)
･･･ shi changes to shite:
話します → 話して (hanashimasu→hanashite)
There are a few exceptions. For example:
行く → 行って (iku→itte)
く
き
来る → 来て (kuru→kite)
する → して (suru→shite)
Remember the conjugation of category 1 and
3 verbs by learning this song to the melody of
“Oh My Darling, Clementine”.
♪Oh my darling
いちりって、
oh my darling
みびにんで、
oh my darling
きいてぎいで
Clementine
しして
You are lost and gone forever
れいがい行くは行って
dreadful sorry Clementine
来るは来てするはして
☆There are many other grammar patterns that
use the “te” form aside from when requesting
something (･･･te kudasai). Here are a few:
1. ∼てはいけません (･･･te wa ikemasen; ･･･is forbidden) E.g.: ここでたばこを吸ってはいけません
(koko de tabako o sutte wa ikemasen; Smoking is forbidden here).
2. ∼てあります(･･･te arimasu; something that has
been done) E.g.: 窓が開けてあります (mado
ga akete arimasu; The window is opened).
3. ∼ています (･･･te imasu; an action that is in
progress) E.g.: ご飯を食べています (gohan o
tabete imasu; I’m eating).
4. Used to join several phrases together ①A sequence of actions…高崎線に乗って、上野駅で
降りて、動物園へ行きました (Takasaki sen ni
notte, Ueno eki de orite, dobutsuen e ikimashita; I got on the Takasaki line, got off at
Ueno Station and went to the zoo). ②
Connecting clauses… 本があって、ノートがあっ
て、鉛筆があります (hon ga atte, noto ga atte,
enpitsu ga arimasu; there is a book, a notepad and a pencil). ③Cause and reason…子
供が生まれて、うれしいです (kodomo ga umarete, ureshii desu; I had a baby so I’m
happy). ④Means & methods… 歩いて、帰りま
す (aruite kaerimasu; I will walk home).
☆Category 1 verbs can easily be changed into
the ta form (plain past tense) by replacing te
with ta 読んで→読んだ (yonde →yonda; read),
働いて → 働いた (hataraite → hataraita;
worked).
Takasaki International Relations Society
Let’s Learn Japanese!
Article courtesy of the Communication Suppot Committee
Transitive & Intransitive Verbs
What is the difference between
し
「ドアーが閉まる」and「ドアーを閉める」?
Both of these sentences express a change from
the door being open to being closed.
ドアーが閉まる (doa ga shimaru; the door closed)
indicates that the door was blown closed by
the wind or by some other naturally-occurring
action.
ドアーを閉める(doa o shimeru; close the door) is
used when someone performs the action of
closing the door. 閉まる(shimaru) is the intransitive form and 閉める(shimeru) the transitive form
of the verb. Why are there two types of verbs
like this in Japanese? They both have a similar
meaning, but the movement is different. An intransitive verb is when an action or change occurs on its own. In other words, it describes a
state that occurs naturally without the force of
another person. A transitive verb is when the
change or action is caused by another force,
namely it is an intentional change.
Imagine you are feeling tired at work and you
want to ask someone to take a break with you
and drink some tea. How would you say it?
①お茶が入りましたよ(ocha ga hairimashita yo;
tea has been made), or
②お茶を入れましたよ(ocha o iremashita yo; I’ve
made some tea)?
A typically Japanese way of saying it would be
“tea has been made”. Of course the tea didn’t
make itself; you are the one who has made it.
But an intransitive verb can be used so as not to
make a big deal out of your action. The process by which an action happened isn’t an issue
with an intransitive verb, creating an element of
politeness or modesty.
このたび、会社の先輩と結婚することになりました。
(kono tabi, kaisha no senpai to kekkon suru koto
ni narimashita; It has come about that I am going to be married to a senior colleague at my
office). The use of なりました(narimashita) is an
intransitive way of expressing this outcome. Saying 結婚することにしました (kekkon suru koto ni shimashita; I’ve decided to marry) is not incorrect
either but “narimashita” expresses that the decision came about during the natural course of
events between the two people.
When a train is about to depart you might hear
the announcementドアーが閉まります (doa ga
shimarimasu; the doors are closing). Of course
the doors do not just close naturally on their
own. Not stating the person who is responsible
for the closing of the doors makes this a politer
way of expressing the action. However apparently there are some announcements that sayド
アーを閉めます。ご注意ください(doa o shimemasu.
go chui kudasai; I’m closing the doors now. Be
careful). Perhaps this is a sign that the Japanese language is slowly changing. You will need
to learn how to tell the difference between
transitive and intransitive verbs in order to make
causative and passive expressions. There are
rules to tell them apart, so start by learning them
one at a time.
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Article courtesy of the Communication Suppot Committee
The Passive and Causative
あめ
ふ
Why do we say「雨に降られた」?
In grammar, the voice of a verb expresses an
action from different viewpoints. Let’s take a
look at the passive and causative voices in
Japanese.
Consider the sentence 子供たちがこの本を読む
(kodomotachi ga kono hon o yomu; The children read this book). If we turn it around and
make “this book” (kono hon) the subject, it
would be expressed in what is called the passive voice:
この本は子供たちに読まれる (kono hon wa kodomotachi ni yomareru; This book is read by the
children). Furthermore, 親たちは子供たちに本を読
ませる (oyatachi wa kodomotachi ni hon o yomaseru; The parents made/let the children read
books) is expressed from the point of view of the
parents (who were responsible for the action) in
what is called the causative voice.
Now, let’s look at two types of the passive
voice. The first is the most commonly applied 非
情の受身文(hijou no ukemi bun; the inanimate
passive). In this case “hijou” refers not to an
“emergency” as it would usually mean, but
rather to an action that is not caused by a person. It’s often used in newspapers and the media as a way to relay information objectively. ま
もなく年賀状が発売される (mamonaku nengajo ga
hatsubai sareru; New Year greeting cards will go
on sale soon) and 事実が明らかにされる (jijitsu ga
akiraka ni sareru; The truth will be revealed) are
two examples of this. Another is what’s called
迷惑の受身 (meiwaku no ukemi; the passive of
inconvenience). For example, 雨に降られた (ame
ni furareta; (lit.) It rained 【on me】) that uses the
intransitive phrase 雨が降る (ame ga furu; it
rains) in the passive voice. I, the speaker, have
been inconvenienced by the rain that fell. This
kind of expression implies that an action that
happened by no fault of one’s own has had a
(negative) impact on oneself, therein managing to express the underlying feelings of the
speaker. So, what kind of expression should we
use when there is no inconvenience, but rather
a feeling of gratitude? Well, we can use 授受表
現(juju hyogen; giving/receiving expressions) as
featured in the July edition of this column. Consider 雨が降ってくれた (ame ga futte kureta; It
rained 【and I am grateful】) . This suggests that
there were many dry days but finally it rained,
for which we are thankful.
With causative expressions it comes down to
who/what has control of a situation. In the sentence 親たちは子供たちに本を読ませる (oyatachi
wa kodomotachi ni hon o yomaseru; The parents made/let the children read books) , it is the
parents who have control of the situation. They
have either enforced the reading of books on
the children, or will allow them to read books
(once their homework is done, etc.), depending
on context.
The combination of the passive and causative
is called 使役の受身 (shiyaku no ukemi), as in 子
供たちは親たちに本を読まされた (kodomotachi wa
oyatachi ni hon o yomasareta; The children
were made to read books by their parents). In
this example, it is more likely the parents are
forcing the behavior on the children, rather
than permitting it.
Takasaki International Relations Society
Let’s Learn Japanese!
Article courtesy of the Communication Suppot Committee
そうたい
The relative tense「相対テンス」
にほん
き
まえ
にほんご
Why is saying 「日本へ来た前に、日本語を
べんきょう
勉強しました。」incorrect?
日本へ来ました。その前に(母国で)日本語を勉強しまし
た (Nihon e kimashita. Sono mae ni 【bokoku
de】 nihongo o benkyo shimashita; I came to
Japan. Before that, I studied Japanese 【in my
home country】). In the incorrect sentence in
the title of this article, the speaker has tried to
join these two sentences together using the
past tense 日本へ来た前に (nihon e kita mae ni)
because the act of coming to Japan is in the
past. The correct way to say “I studied Japanese before coming to Japan” is 日本へ来る前
に、日本語を勉強しました (nihon e kuru mae ni, nihongo o benkyo shimashita). The main clause
(主節 shusetsu) of this sentence is 日本語を勉強し
ましたand the subordinate clause (従属節 juzokusetsu) is 日本へ来る前に. The tense (時制 jisei)
of the subordinate clause is relative to whether
the action in the main clause happened before
or after it. This is called the relative tense. We
already know 来た is past tense, and 来る is present tense, but in order to determine the tense
of the subordinate clause, we need to think of
the past tense as a completed action (the perfect tense), and the present tense as an unfinished action (the imperfect tense). In other
words on a timeline, is the action totally over, or
is it still in progress?
Study Japanese
come to Japan
Time
The act of “coming to Japan” when considered
at the time when the main clause “studying
Japanese” occurred is not a completed action.
This is because at the time of studying Japanese, the person had not yet come to Japan.
Therefore we use 来る, the present (imperfect)
tense to express that the action is not complete.
So, what would you use in the following situation?
Come to Japan
study Japanese
Time
Because the act of coming to Japan is already
completed at the time of the main clause’s ac-
tion of “studying Japanese”, we have to use the
past (perfect) tense 来た. And because the order of the actions has changed, we replace 前
に (mae ni; before) with 後で (ato de; after) to
get:日本へ来た後で、日本語を勉強しました (Nihon e
kita ato de, nihongo o benkyo shimashita; I
studied Japanese after coming to Japan).
How about these situations?
Say “itadakimasu”
eat
say “gochisosama”
Time
Answer: 食べる前に、“いただきます”と言います。食べ
た後で、“ごちそうさま”と言います (taberu mae ni
itadakimasu to iimasu. Tabeta ato de gochisosama to iimasu; We say “itadakimasu” before
eating and “gochisosama” after eating).
In
order to get this answer, you had to consider
whether the main clause (the part beforeと言う)
is finished or unfinished at the point of eating
(the subordinate clause), and also in what order
the actions occurred.
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The various meanings of「~ている」
Are the meanings of ~ているin「ご飯を食べて
いる」and「窓が開いている」the same?
The meaning of ~ている(~teiru) is not defined in
itself. The meaning changes depending on the
verb before ~ている and the context of the sentence. Let’s look at the various usages of ~てい
る.
1. Indicating a state of things in progress
This structure describes the continuing state of
an “action” verb. All verbs that can be used
with this type of ~ている have the “start®in progress®end” process. In the phraseご飯を食べてい
る(Gohan wo tabeteiru; eating a meal), adding
~ている after 食べる(Taberu; eat) means that the
action is “in progress”.
○ ○ 食べている ○ ○
(Tabeteiru; is eating)
Time
2. Indicating a state that is the result of a
change
The verbs that are used in this context with ~てい
るare verbs that have momentary action. The
verbs that express this have the process of
“state before a change®point of a
change®state after a change”.
3. Indicating an unchanging state. This has a
fixed adjective- like expression. For example,「山
がそびえている」(The mountain is towering)「鉛筆が
とがっている」(The pencil is sharp)「息子は父親に似
ている」(The son is similar to his father.)
4. Indicating experiences and occupations. This
expression is used regardless of the kind of verb.
For example, 「学生時代にパリへ行っている」(Have/
has been to Paris in one’s student years) 「大学で
日本語を教えている」(I teach Japanese at an University.)
5. Indicating repetitive actions.
For example,「毎日、公園を散歩している」(Every
morning, I go for a walk in the park)「時々、映画を
見に行っている」(Sometimes I go to see a movie.)
6. The meaning also changes depending on the
word before verb.
A.「ドアが完全に閉まっている」(The door is closed
completely.) B.「ドアが少しずつ閉まっている」(The
door is closing little by little.) Both have the
same form which is verb +「ている」,however, the
meanings of「閉まっている」are different. As “A”
has「完全に」(completely) in front, the door is in a
「閉まった」(closed) state. B has「少しずつ」(little by
little) so we know that the door is in the process
of closing.
7. There are words which have meanings of
both No.1 & No.2. This is common to verbs which
are related to wearing clothes and taking
clothes off.
「今、ネクタイをしているから、少し待っててください」(In
progress - “I’m putting on a tie so please wait
for a while”. ), 「あの人、いいネクタイをしているね」(a
state which resulted from a change – “That person is wearing a nice tie.”)
Takasaki International Relations Society
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What are the differences between
「私は山田です」and「私が山田です」?
1. The properties of「は」
(1)は is used when the speaker wants to let the
listener know what she/he is going to talk about.
(This is called thematicは.) This type of は is placed
at the first part of a sentence, after the topic. For
example, in「山田さんは学生です」(Yamadasan wa
gakusei desu; Mr. Yamada is a student), は indicates that the speaker is going to talk about「山田
さん」(the topic). This is the function of thematicは.
は is then followed by a statement「学生です」.
(2)はis also used when the speaker wants to contrast what she/he talks about with other things.
(This is called contrastive は.) In the following sentence, the second は particle is the contrastive は.
「私はみかんは好きです。」(Watashi wa mikan wa sukidesu; (As for) tangerines, I like (them)). The first は
particle indicates the main topic(Watashi; I), and
the second は particle indicates the second topic
(Mikan;tangerines) and it is used to contrast the
current topic from other possible topics. The
speaker is suggesting that she/he likes tangerines
but doesn’t particularly like other things (Perhaps
other fruit, this depends on the context of conversation).
2. The properties of「が」
(1) が indicates the subject and it is used when
describing the subject as it is/was at that moment
and when something is/was discovered.(あっ、)雨
が降っている((Ah,) ame ga futteiru;(Oh,) it is raining). 鍵が見つかった(Kagi ga mitsukatta; A key was
found.)
(2) It is also used when distinguishing the subject
from other possible subjects. (This is called exhaustive が). A:誰が来たのですかA:(Dare ga kitanodesuka; Who has come?) B:山田さんが来ました B:
(Yamada san ga kimashita; (Of all the people we
are talking about) it is Mr. Yamada who has
come.)
3. Basic differentiation between「は」and「が」
(1) When combining two sentences like the ones
below, は of the first sentence changes to が. 私は
本屋で本を買いました(Watashi wa honya de hon o
kaimashita; I bought a book at a bookstore). その
本はこれです(Sono hon wa kore desu; The book is
this). After combining these sentences, it becomes
私が本屋で買った本は、これです (Watashi ga honyade katta hon wa, kore desu; The book (that) I
bought at the store is this).
(2) When the predicate is an adjective or/and a
noun, “wa” is used. この荷物は重い(Kono nimotsu
wa omoi; This luggage is heavy.) 山田さんは英語の
先生です(Yamadasan wa eigo no sensei desu; Mr.
Yamada is an English teacher). If you use が instead of は in these sentences, が becomes the
exhaustive が(The same as 2-(2).)
4. は is placed after old information. “Ga” is
placed after new information.
Let’s look at the difference between私は山田です
（Watashi wa yamada desu; I am Yamada）and 私
が山田です(Watashi ga yamada desu; I am Yamada). 私は∼です is used when introducing oneself. The listener already know who 私 is by seeing
the person, so this 私 itself has already become an
old information. In such cases, は is used. However,
what if there were many people and someone
asked ”山田さんは誰ですか”(Yamadasan wa dare
desuka; Who is Mr. Yamada?) ? Then, he answers
(はい、)私が山田です. As you can see, this is the first
time that the speaker lets others know about ”私”.
私( I ) in this situation is a new information for the
listeners so that is why が is used.
※Note that things other than the subject can also be marked with は/
が. E.g. With some type of verbs, は/が instead of を is used to mark the
object.
Takasaki International Relations Society
Let’s Learn Japanese!
Article courtesy of the Communication Suppot Committee
About 「敬語」
敬語(keigo) is a word used to refer to all honorific
speech forms in Japanese that are used for several purposes. It is used when being formal/polite,
and/or to express social hierarchical relation.
There are 3 types of 敬語but in this article, we will
focus on 2 types of 敬語 that are used to express
respect to the listener by clarifying the hierarchical
relation between the speaker and the listener.
These 2 types of 敬語 are: 尊敬語(sonkeigo; Respectful word) which is used to elevate the listener, 謙譲語(kenjougo; Humble word) which is
used to lower the speaker without referring to the
listener’s social status.
Imagine you are now at a restaurant with an acquaintance and you want to ask the person what
he/she is going to eat. How would you say it?
If the acquaintance is:
1. Your close friend
2. Your boss who is a few years older than you
3. Your company’s president
List of questions:
A. 「何を召し上がりますか。」(Nani o meshiagarimasuka?)
B. 「何を食べる？」(Nani o taberu?)
C. 「何を食べますか。」(Nani o tabemasuka? )
The answers:
For 1, the correct answer is B. This is an informal
speech. For 2, the correct answer is C. This is politer
than B. For 3, the answer is A. 召し上がります is the
“Sonkeigo”. By changing the word of the president’s action from 「食べる」 to 「召し上がる」, you are
referring to the president as someone who is on
the higher social rank than yourself.
Here is the next question. Your Japanese teacher
is carrying a heavy luggage and you want to help
by carrying it. How would you say it?
A. 「その荷物、私が持つよ。」 (Sono nimotsu, watashi
ga motsuyo.)
B. 「その荷物、私が持ちますよ。」 (Sono nimotsu, watashi ga mochimasuyo.)
C. 「その荷物、私がお持ちしますよ。」 (Sono nimotsu,
watashi ga omochishimasuyo.)
A is an informal, normal speech. B is politer than A.
As of C, by changing the word of your action from
「持ちます」to 「お持ちします」, you are lowering your
status and putting the teacher in a higher status.
So, お持ちします is the “Kenjougo”. But what about
“Sono nimotsu, motte agemasuyo” using the ∼あ
げる (~ageru) expressions used to show acts of
kindness? This is incorrect because it sounds like
granting a favor to your superior/senior which is
impolite.
In the context of using 敬語, “People higher up in
social rank,” means people like your teachers,
seniors and your boss at work. Also, 敬語 is used
when speaking to strangers/people who you are
not close with, and when speaking in front of large
audience and in formal occasions. Sometimes
even native speakers confuse 尊敬語 with 謙譲語. If
you become confused as to how to use it, you
don’t need to use it but instead talk in です・ます
(~desu/~masu) form - 丁寧語 (teineigo; Polite
word)- which is a type of 敬語 as well. You won’t
be giving bad impression by using “desu/masu”
form. It is best to study the types and usage of 敬語
a little at a time as they are complex.

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