敬語 (keigo) — The Japanese that shows respect
Who you raise and who you lower — the language of respect in Japanese.
Formula (सूत्र ढाँचा)
Grammar rule (व्याकरण नियम र परिभाषा)
When to use it
At work you need this language with a 店長 or a 課長 every day, so it is survival Japanese, not a school topic.
Meaning
- 敬語 says the same thing in a different way, so that the other person ends up above you and you end up below.
- The biggest rule is not age — it is the group.
- Japanese splits the world into うち (your side — you, your family, your company) and そと (outside — the customer, another company, a stranger).
- Raise what a そと person does; keep what a うち person does low.
- So inside the company you say 店長は 来られます, but in front of a customer you say only 来ます about that same 店長 — the 店長 is on your side.
Examples (उदाहरणहरू)
店長は 3時に 来られます。
てんちょうは 3じに こられます。
The store manager is coming at 3. (said inside the company)
お客様、店長は 3時に 来ます。
おきゃくさま、てんちょうは 3じに きます。
Sir/Madam, the store manager is coming at 3. (said to a customer)
お客様は もう 帰られました。
おきゃくさまは もう かえられました。
The customer has already gone home.
Knowledge check (मिनी ज्ञान जाँच)
Inside the company, speaking to a colleague about your 店長 with respect — which is right?
💡 Hint: Inside the company the 店長 is your senior, and the listener is inside too.
Inside the company you raise the 店長 — 来られます (尊敬語). 参ります is for your own actions, 来ます carries no respect, and 来る is casual speech. Once an outsider is listening, that same 店長 is no longer raised.
Talking to a customer, you want to say "our 店長 said so". Which is right?
💡 Hint: The customer is そと; the 店長 is うち, your own side.
In front of a customer you never raise anyone from your own company — plain 言いました is right. Both おっしゃいました and 言われました raise them, and you do not say 店長さん to an outsider either.
「お客様が ____。」(the customer went home) — which is right?
💡 Hint: The customer is a そと person.
お客様 is outside, so raise them — 帰られました.
Your score: /3