Humble Kenjougo
- Form
- Humble Kenjougo
- Level
- N3
- Used for
- Lowering the status of the speaker to show respect to the listener or person being addressed.
- Rule
Prefix the verb stem with お- (or ご- for Sino-Japanese nouns) and suffix with する (suru) or いたす (itasu).
- Worked examples
会う → お目にかかる (au → o-me ni kakaru), 持つ → お持ちする (motsu → o-mochi suru), 案内する → ご案内する (annai suru → go-annai suru)
- Exceptions
Common verbs have entirely distinct humble equivalents (e.g., 行く → 参る, 言う → 申す, 食べる → いただく).