1The system of honorific/polite expressions in Japanese that signal deference toward the listener or the person being talked about. Traditionally taught as three categories: 尊敬語 (respectful — elevates the actions of the addressee/referent, e.g. お話しになる), 謙譲語 (humble — lowers one's own side to raise the other, e.g. 伺う), and 丁寧語 (polite — politeness toward the listener, e.g. です/ます). The Agency for Cultural Affairs' 2007 「敬語の指針」 expanded this into five categories by splitting 謙譲語 into Ⅰ and Ⅱ (丁重語) and adding 美化語 (beautified language, e.g. お米, お水). Mastering keigo is treated as basic adult etiquette in business, customer service, and interactions with social superiors — and is one of the hardest areas for Japanese learners.
新入社員はまず、取引先で使う敬語を覚えなければならない。
New hires first have to learn the honorific language used with clients.
敬語は、尊敬語・謙譲語・丁寧語の三つに大きく分けられる。
Keigo is broadly divided into three groups: respectful, humble, and polite language.
「了解しました」は同僚向けで、上司には「承知しました」のほうが敬語として適切だ。
'Ryōkai shimashita' is fine with colleagues, but 'Shōchi shimashita' is the more appropriate honorific form when speaking to a superior.
外国人にとって、日本語の敬語をうまく使い分けるのはかなり難しい。
For foreign speakers, using Japanese honorific language correctly is genuinely difficult.
「お召し上がりになられる」のような二重敬語は、過剰でかえって失礼にあたることがある。
Doubled honorifics like 「お召し上がりになられる」 can come across as excessive and actually feel impolite.