N4 Honorific Expressions

敬語けいご: meaning, usage and examples

敬語けいご means: honorific expressions.

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 尊敬語そんけいご：先生せんせいがいらっしゃいました。

   Respectful: The teacher has arrived.

2. 謙譲語けんじょうご：私わたしが参まいります。

   Humble: I will go.

3. 社長しゃちょうは今いま、会議かいぎ室しつにいらっしゃいます。

   The company president is in the meeting room now.

4. 明日あした、私わたしからお電話でんわいたします。

   I will call you tomorrow.

When to use it

Keigo is the system of respectful language used with customers, bosses, teachers and people you do not know well. It has three main parts. 尊敬そんけい語ご raises the other person by using special forms for their actions. 謙譲けんじょう語ご lowers your own actions toward them. 丁寧ていねい語ご is the polite です/ます style that keeps any sentence courteous. Most business and service Japanese uses all three.

Nuance

The key question is whose action it is. If a superior or customer does it, use 尊敬そんけい語ご (先生せんせいがいらっしゃいました). If you or your side does it for them, use 謙譲けんじょう語ご (私わたしが参まいります). Never use 尊敬そんけい語ご for yourself. When talking to outsiders, your own boss counts as part of your side.

Compare

Common pairs: 行いく/来くる/いる become いらっしゃる (respectful) and 参まいる/おる (humble); 食たべる becomes 召めし上あがる and いただく; 言いう becomes おっしゃる and 申もうす; 見みる becomes ご覧らんになる and 拝見はいけんする. The respectful form is for their actions, the humble form for yours.

Tip: A common mistake is using いただく for someone else eating: 先生せんせいがいただきます is wrong. Say 先生せんせいが召めし上あがります; いただきます is only for you.

More on this in Japanese keigo: polite, respectful and humble speech.