Japanese/Grammar/Honorific prefixes

Meaning

お o- is an exalted prefix. It shows respect for the individual or object to whom it pertains. ご go- plays a similar role, being attached to a separate group of words as explained below. Both お o- and ご go- can be written as 御.

Translation

There is no equivalent in English. In translation it is either dropped, or (when appropriate) translated as your, etc.

Usage

お o- can be applied to nouns, na-adjectives, i-adjectives, and verbs.

Because お o is exalted, it is not used on or about the speaker. For example,

お元気(げんき)ですか。 O-genki desu ka?

is the formal way of asking "How are you." The normal response is

元気(げんき)です。 Genki desu.

In the first example, person A is exalting person B by placing the exalted prefix お o- in front of the word 元気(げんき) genki, which refers to person B's health. In the response, person B omits the お o- prefix because he does not wish to exalt himself.

Note that お o- is usually only applied to words of Japanese origin, and most Sino-Japanese words take the honorific prefix 御(ご) go- instead, as in 御主人(ごしゅじん) master/husband. (元気(げんき) genki is a notable exception.)

Examples

Words that commonly use お o- or 御(ご) go- include:

Nouns

お茶(ちゃ) o-cha "tea"
お水(みず) o-mizu "water"
お仕事(しごと) o-shigoto "job"
お家(うち) o-uchi "home"
お部屋(へや) o-heya "room"
お父(とう)さん otousan "father"
お母(かあ)さん okaasan "mother"
お兄(にい)さん oniisan "older brother"
お姉(ねえ)さん oneesan "older sister"
お祖父(じい)さん ojiisan "grandfather"
お祖母(ばあ)さん obaasan "grandmother"
お子(こ)さん o-ko-san "child"
ご主人(しゅじん) go-shujin "master/husband (of the person who is spoken to)"
ご飯(はん) go-han "meal or (cooked) rice"

Na-Adjectives

お元気(げんき) o-genki "healthy"
お好(す)き o-suki "liked"

I-Adjectives

お早(はや)い o-hayai "early"

Verbs

お入(はい)り o-hairi "Please enter."
お座(すわ)り o-suwari "Please sit."