Honorific Sonkeigo

Form

Honorific Sonkeigo

Level

N3

Used for

Elevating the status of the person performing the action.

Rule

Prefix the verb stem with お- (or ご- for Sino-Japanese compounds) and suffix with になる (ni naru). Alternatively, use the passive form as an honorific.

Worked examples

話す → お話しになる (hanasu → o-hanashi ni naru), 読む → お読みになる (yomu → o-yomi ni naru), する → ご覧になる (suru → go-ran ni naru / nasaru)

Exceptions

Suppletive honorific verbs completely change their lexical form (e.g., 行く/来る/いる → いらっしゃる, 食べる/飲む → 召し上がる).

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