尊敬語

• Reading: そんけいご
• Romaji: sonkeigo
• Kanji breakdown: 尊 (son) — revere; 敬 (kei) — respect; 語 (go) — language, speech
• Pronunciation: /so.ɴ.ke.i.ɡo/

Meaning

Honorific language; respectful speech. The register of Japanese in which special verb and noun forms are used to show respect for the person being spoken about.

One of the three main politeness registers in Japanese: 尊敬語 (elevating the subject), 謙譲語 (kenjōgo — humbling the speaker), and 丁寧語 (teineigo — polite neutral). 尊敬語 uses special forms such as いらっしゃる (for いる/行く/来る), おっしゃる (for 言う), and the お〜になる construction. Mastery is essential for professional communication and is a key focus in advanced Japanese language education.

Examples

1. 社長がいらっしゃるという表現が尊敬語の代表例だ。 The expression 'the president irassharu' is a classic example of honorific language.
2. 尊敬語と謙譲語の使い分けは、日本語学習者にとって難関の一つだ。 Distinguishing between honorific and humble speech is one of the toughest challenges for Japanese language learners.
3. ビジネスの場では適切な尊敬語を使えるかどうかが信頼に直結する。 In a business setting, whether you can use appropriate honorific language directly affects trust.

Usage Guide

Context: linguistics, Japanese language education, business communication

Tone: scholarly

Origin & History

From 尊敬 (sonkei — respect, combining 尊 revere and 敬 respect) and 語 (go — language, speech). The concept of grammaticalised speech levels is ancient in Japanese, with formal honorific registers traceable to the Heian period.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient to present

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal