N4 Honorific Expressions

尊敬そんけい語ご: meaning, usage and examples

尊敬そんけい語ご means: Respectful expressions.

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

Examples

1. 社長しゃちょうはもうお帰かえりになりました。

   The president has already gone home.

2. 先生せんせい、お飲のみになりますか。

   Teacher, would you like to drink?

3. 先生せんせいは何時なんじごろお戻もどりになりますか。

   Around what time will the teacher be back?

4. 部長ぶちょうはもうお昼ひるを召めし上あがりましたか。

   Has the manager already had lunch?

When to use it

Use 尊敬そんけい語ご (respectful language) to talk about the actions or states of someone above you: a customer, a teacher, your boss, an older stranger. It raises the other person. 社長しゃちょうはもうお帰かえりになりました means "The president has already gone home." Use it both when speaking to that person and when speaking about them.

Nuance

Special verbs replace the regular pattern when they exist: say いらっしゃる, not お行いきになる. The passive-form version (読よまれる) is lighter and common in business writing, but it can be confused with a real passive. する verbs often use ご + noun + になる or なさる (ご利用りようになる).

Compare

尊敬そんけい語ご raises the other person's action; 謙譲けんじょう語ご lowers your own: 先生せんせいがお読よみになる (the teacher reads) vs 私わたしがお読よみします (I will read it for you). Both are different from plain polite ます forms, which are polite but show no special respect: 先生せんせいが読よみます.

Tip: Never use 尊敬そんけい語ご for your own actions, even when you want to sound very polite. 私わたしはいらっしゃいます is wrong; say 私わたしは参まいります or 私わたしはおります.

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