Sonkeigo

Definition:

Sonkeigo (尊敬語, respectful language) is the respectful register of Japanese keigo (honorific speech) in which the actions, states, and possessions of a socially superior person (a customer, teacher, senior colleague, or social superior) are expressed in elevated, respectful forms. In sonkeigo, the speaker does not refer to themselves — sonkeigo elevates the external out-group person (the topic of the action, typically [相手 / the “other”]) by replacing everyday verbs with dedicated honorific verbs or by applying honorific morphology. Sonkeigo is one component of the three-part keigo system alongside kenjogo (humble speech) and teineigo (polite speech).

How Sonkeigo Works

Sonkeigo operates on two levels:

1. Dedicated sonkeigo verbs (irregular honorific forms)

Many everyday verbs have dedicated sonkeigo equivalents that completely replace the base verb when the subject is a social superior:

2. Regular sonkeigo construction: お/ご〜になる

For verbs without dedicated sonkeigo forms, the pattern お + verb stem + になる or ご + verbal noun + になる is used:

• 読む → お読みになる (o-yomi-ni-naru) — “to read” (used respectfully for someone else)
• 使用する → ご使用になる (go-shiyō-ni-naru) — “to use” (respectfully)

3. Honorific prefixes on nouns

お (o-) and ご (go-) before nouns belonging to or associated with the social superior:

• お客様 (okyakusama) — “customer/guest” (the お intensifies the respect)
• ご家族 (gokazoku) — “your family” (respectful reference to the other’s family)

Sonkeigo Grammar Rules

A key constraint: sonkeigo cannot be used about oneself. When the speaker refers to their own actions in formal contexts, they must use kenjogo (humble forms), not sonkeigo. Using sonkeigo about yourself is a serious pragmatic error — it implies you are elevating yourself above your interlocutor, which violates the social logic of the honorific system.

Social Contexts for Sonkeigo

Sonkeigo is used in:

• Business contexts — when referring to a client’s or senior colleague’s actions
• Service industry — waitstaff, hotel staff, retail staff refer to customers using sonkeigo
• Formal communication — letters, announcements, formal speeches referring to respected persons
• Institutional contexts — students referring to teachers; employees referring to superiors or clients

Sonkeigo vs. Teineigo vs. Kenjogo

In practice, formal spoken Japanese combines all three: sentences end in -masu (teineigo), refer to others using sonkeigo, and use kenjogo for the speaker’s own actions.

History

Keigo developed across the Heian period (794–1185) as court language elaborated to mark social rank distinctions. Sonkeigo’s dedicated verb forms are among the most historically stable elements of Japanese grammar. Modern usage distinctions were codified by schools and businesses in the 20th century. The Agency for Cultural Affairs (文化庁) has produced official guidance on appropriate keigo usage.

Common Misconceptions

• “Sonkeigo is just adding ?/? to everything” — Many sonkeigo forms require completely different verb forms (いらっしゃる for いる/行く/来る), not prefixes
• “Sonkeigo and kenjogo are interchangeable” — They are complementary opposites: sonkeigo elevates the other; kenjogo lowers the self

Criticisms

• Keigo creates barriers for non-native Japanese speakers in professional settings and has been critiqued as a mechanism of social exclusion
• Younger generations increasingly use simplified or uncertain keigo, and the boundaries between registers are becoming less rigid in some subcultures

Social Media Sentiment

Keigo is a source of frequent discussion among Japanese learners — widely considered one of the most difficult aspects of Japanese for non-native learners and even for Japanese young people entering the workplace. Last updated: 2026-04

Practical Application

• Prioritize learning the 10–15 most common sonkeigo irregular verb forms first (いらっしゃる, なさる, おっしゃる, 召し上がる, くださる, ご覧になる)
• Practice with Sakubo for vocabulary retention of keigo forms
• Remember: never use sonkeigo about your own actions in real keigo contexts

Related Terms

• Keigo
• Kenjogo
• Teineigo
• Politeness Theory

See Also

• Sakubo

Research

• Wetzel, P. J. (2004). Keigo in Modern Japan: Polite Language from Meiji to the Present. University of Hawai’i Press. — Comprehensive historical and social study of Japanese honorifics.
• Ide, S. (1989). Formal forms and discernment: Two neglected aspects of universals of linguistic politeness. Multilingua, 8(2/3), 223–248. — Japanese politeness through the concept of wakimae (discernment) rather than face-management.
• Niyekawa, A. (1991). Minimum Essential Politeness: A Guide to the Japanese Honorific Language. Kodansha. — Practical description of keigo registers for learners.