Keigo Explained: How Japanese Politeness Levels Work for Visitors

At a department store counter, a clerk bows slightly and says, Shosho omachi kudasai, a phrase that sounds soft and almost musical. At a ryokan (Japanese inn), the manager asks, Nani o meshiagarimasu ka? when talking about dinner. The verbs seem different from what a phrasebook taught you, and the tone is unmistakably formal. This is keigo, the system of respectful language that shapes how people speak to guests, customers, elders and colleagues across Japan.

For outsiders, keigo can look like a wall of complicated grammar. In practice, travelers only need to recognize a few patterns and use one polite style. This guide explains the three main types of keigo, teineigo, sonkeigo and kenjogo, shows real examples you are likely to hear in shops, hotels and restaurants, and explains what visitors actually need to know. The short answer: very little, but a basic grasp makes service language easier to follow.

What Keigo Is

Keigo (honorific language) is a set of verb forms, vocabulary and prefixes used to show respect, social distance or courtesy. It does not change what is said, only how it is framed around the people involved. The choice depends on who is speaking, who is listening and who is being discussed. A person may use very casual speech with close friends in the morning and sophisticated keigo with customers in the afternoon, switching with ease.

The system grew from older court and class-based speech and is still tied to ideas of hierarchy and group membership. Today it is most visible in business and service settings, where companies often teach keigo in new-employee training because schools only cover the basics. Linguists divide keigo into three main groups and sometimes add two more, teichogo (courteous language) and bikago (beautifying language), for five in total. For visitors, the three main groups are enough.

Teineigo: The Polite Everyday Style

Teineigo (polite language) is the level ordinary visitors need. It is marked by the endings desu and masu, and by adding o- or go- before certain nouns. Tabemasu (eat, or eats) is the polite form of taberu. Ikimasu is the polite form of iku, to go. Desu is the polite is or am. The style is directed at the person you are speaking to, and it is safe in almost every situation, from asking for directions to ordering dinner.

Everything in a standard phrasebook is in this style. Using it with everyone, including children, taxi drivers and hotel staff, will not cause offense. The plain form, such as taberu or iku, is for friends, family and casual moments, and using it with strangers sounds blunt. Moving from plain speech to teineigo is a simple step: add masu to verbs and desu to nouns and adjectives, and you are speaking politely.

Sonkeigo: Raising the Other Person

Sonkeigo (respectful language) elevates the person being talked about, usually a customer, guest, boss or elder. It is never used about yourself. Many common verbs have special forms. Suru (to do) becomes nasaru, iku, kuru and iru (to go, come, be) become irassharu, taberu (to eat) becomes meshiagaru, and iu (to say) becomes ossharu. Hito (person) becomes kata. Staff will use these about you without any expectation that you reply the same way.

That is why you may hear Irasshaimase (welcome, a form of irassharu), Dozo omeshiagari kudasai (please eat, go ahead), or Nani ni nasaimasu ka? (what will you have?). Hotels and shops use these constantly. Another pattern adds o- and ni naru to a verb, such as o-kaeri ni naru for going home. You do not need to produce these; recognizing them lets you understand that the speaker is showing respect to you, even if the exact verb is unfamiliar.

Kenjogo: Lowering Yourself and Your Side

Kenjogo (humble language) lowers the speaker or the speaker's group to raise the listener. Its verbs are the counterparts of sonkeigo. Suru becomes itasu, morau (to receive) becomes itadaku, iku and kuru become mairu, iu becomes moshiageru or mosu, and miru (to see) becomes haiken suru. A shop clerk who says Kashikomarimashita (certainly) or a hotel employee who says Ukagaimasu (will visit, or will ask) is using humble forms to show service.

Another pattern is o- plus the verb stem plus suru, such as o-mochi shimasu, meaning will carry that for you. Japanese politeness also uses an inside-outside idea called uchi and soto. When talking to a customer, an employee uses humble language about their own company, even about their boss, and respectful language about the customer. This is why a staff member may talk about their manager very modestly when speaking to you. It is a courtesy to the guest, not disrespect to the manager.

The Prefix That Starts It All

Many everyday nouns take the prefix o- or go- as a quick way to sound polite. O- generally attaches to native Japanese words, as in o-cha (tea), o-mizu (water) and o-hashi (chopsticks), while go- attaches to words of Chinese origin, as in go-chumon (your order) or go-kazoku (your family). There are exceptions to the pattern, so listen to how native speakers say a word rather than trying to guess.

These prefixes also signal whose thing it is. A server may say go-chumon for your order, while a customer would call their own order simply chumon. Beautifying use is common too: o-cha and o-sake are usually said with the prefix, and o-tenki (weather) sounds softer than tenki. For visitors, adding o- to cha or mizu when ordering is polite and entirely natural, and it never sounds out of place.

Common Service Phrases and What They Mean

A few phrases show up everywhere. Irasshaimase is the welcome when you walk in. Shosho omachi kudasai means please wait a moment. O-matase itashimashita means sorry to keep you waiting. Kashikomarimashita and shokochi shimashita both acknowledge a request. Yoroshii desu ka? is a polite way to ask if something is acceptable. At the end of a meal, Arigato gozaimashita thanks you for coming. O-tsukaresama desu is a general friendly greeting between colleagues, meaning thank you for your effort.

Hotels may say Go-yoyaku no onamae o ukagaemasu ka, asking for the name on a reservation, and restaurants may say Go-chumon wa o-kimari desu ka, asking if you have decided. Both use respect for you and humility for the staff. If a phrase sounds unfamiliar, repeat the word you caught or point to the menu or phone. Staff are used to visitors not catching every word and will often simplify.

Common Mistakes, Even for Locals

Even native speakers find keigo difficult. A common error is nijukeigo (double honorifics), where two respectful forms are stacked on one verb, such as ossharareru. Many speakers use it anyway, though it is often regarded as excessive. Another slip is using respectful language about yourself, which flips the meaning of the whole system.

None of this should worry visitors. Japanese speakers know that learners have limited time, and a simple desu and masu with a friendly voice is appreciated more than a complicated phrase used incorrectly. The most useful habit is listening: pay attention to how staff speak to you and to each other, and you will pick up the rhythm. Over time, the patterns become audible even if you never plan to use them.

What Visitors Need to Know

Use teineigo (the desu and masu style) with everyone. Add san after surnames, and use sama only for customers or a formal setting, as shops do. Do not attach san to your own name. Say onegaishimasu and kudasai for requests, and thank people with arigato gozaimasu. If someone uses a long respectful phrase you do not follow, a smile and a short answer such as hai or onegaishimasu works well.

If you plan to work or study in Japan, take a course that covers keigo, since it is part of professional life, particularly in business email and customer service. For a short trip, treat keigo as a courtesy you receive, not a test you must pass. Notice how carefully staff shape their words, enjoy the hospitality, and respond with warmth. That attitude matters more than any perfect verb form.