敬語の5分類｜The 5 Types of keigo
In the Japanese language it is possible to show respect towards another person by replacing words, mostly verbs, with politer equivalents. This can be done by using elevating expressions for the actions of your superior or degrading expressions for your own actions.
Overview: Verb Formation Rules for sonkeigo 尊敬語, kenjōgo I 謙譲語Ⅰ and kenjōgo II 謙譲語Ⅱ (also known as teichōgo 丁重語).
In a guideline released by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs in the year 2007 keigo has been divided into five types: 尊敬語・謙譲語Ⅰ・謙譲語Ⅱ（丁重語）・丁寧語・美化語. The first three types demonstrate the most complex rules, hence why I summarized them in the chart above for a quick overview. Hereafter, you can find thorough introductions to each type.
Sonkeigo is the most basic method to pay special respect towards a teacher, a superior or a client. This can be done by switching the verb (refering to the action of your superior) with its passive form.
However, the degree of politeness isn't that high. Hence, it is important to learn the following formation rules as well:
Some verbs have a fixed forms. If a verb has a special form it is to be used.¹
In this context サ変動詞 refers to nominal verbs. Basically, nouns that can be turned into verbs by adding する. It is possible to add お or ご infront of the verb but it can be also omitted if unsure which prefix is the right one.
This formation rule is for all verbs that do not belong into either of the two categories above. Omitting ます leaves the so-called renyōkei 連用形 or conjunctive form of the verb. Here, the prefix added is always お.
It is not uncommon to apply this formation rule to サ変動詞 as well. Depending on the nominal verb お needs to be changed to ご.
However, there are exceptions. Some nominal verbs are not idiomatic and end up sounding unnatural to native ears.
e.g. 運転する → ご運転になります ✕
運転する → 運転なさいます 〇
Kenjōgo I + II have the opposite effect of sonkeigo. They degrade one's status and are therefore applied only to your own actions or the actions of someone from your inner circle (e.g. a co-worker, or a family member).
In contrast to kenjōgo II, kenjōgo I is used when your action (or the action of someone from your circle) is directed at the person you want to pay respect to. It is also used when you do something for said person.
The formation rules are as listed below:
Some verbs have a fixed forms. If a verb has a special form it is to be used.¹
The translation would be "saying sth. to sb." or "telling sb. sth." implying that your action is directed at the person you want to pay respect to.
Again, there are some verbs that sound unnatural when this formation is applied.
In this case, you can formulate the sentence with ～させていただきます or switch to kenjōgo II.
e.g. 運転させていただきます 〇
運転いたします 〇
Note that, depending on the situation ～させていただきます might give of the impression that you are putting yourself down too much. This can result in making your counterpart feel uncomfortable.
This formation rule is for all verbs that do not belong into either of the two categories above. Omitting ます leaves the so-called renyōkei 連用形 or conjunctive form of the verb. Here, the prefix added is always お.
Kenjōgo II is used when your own action is unconnected to the person you want to pay respect to. Therefore, this type of language can often be found in anouncements, news reports or broadcasts elevating its audience. At train stations one often repeated phrase is:
e.g. もうすぐ電車が来る → まもなく電車が参ります
In the example above you can see that not only the verb has been switched with a politer equivalent, but the adverb as well. There are many words that can be switched with politer versions. Unlike verbs, they do not need to be inflected and can be studied like regular vocabulary.
It can also be pointed out that the action does not have to be conducted by the speaker, but can be an object (like in the example above) or a third party as well.
Some verbs have a fixed forms. If a verb has a special form it is to be used.¹
e.g. 言う → 申します (as in 私は◯◯と申します)
When introducing yourself you simly "say" or "state" your name. This is not considered an action that is directed at the person you want to pay respect to, hence it falls into the category of kenjōgo II.
For all verbs that do not fall under the categories above, teineigo is used, or in other words the です・ます form.
In case the ～ている form is used, the degree of politeness can be elevated by replacing it with ～ております which is the special form of いる.
Teineigo is the neutral polite language. You're probably already familiar with this one, since this is the most foolproof way of speaking politely due to its absence of any kind of seesaw principle. It is used everywhere outside of your circle of friends and the safest way to talk to strangers. However, in certain situations it is expected to raise the level of politeness.
There is a certain number of words, especially nouns, that can be turned into more elegant sounding versions. It can be easily understood by just looking at some examples.
e.g. 金 → お金
酒 → お酒
料理 → ご料理
米 → お米
散歩 → お散歩
Adding the respective prefix お or ご takes away the roughness of a word. This, however, can only be done with a few selected words. Refined words are commonly used in both formal and informal speech.
‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
¹ I compiled all special forms 特定形 that you need to know in this post: 敬語の特定形｜Keigo: Special Verb Forms.
