Japanese/Grammar/Honorific prefixes
Meaning
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]There is no equivalent in English. In translation it is either dropped, or (when appropriate) translated as your, etc.
Usage
[edit | edit source]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 ですか。 O-genki desu ka?
is the formal way of asking "How are you." The normal response is
元気 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
Note that お o- is usually only applied to words of Japanese origin, and most Sino-Japanese words take the honorific prefix
Examples
[edit | edit source]Words that commonly use お o- or
Nouns
[edit | edit source]- お
茶 o-cha "tea" - お
水 o-mizu "water" - お
仕事 o-shigoto "job" - お
家 o-uchi "home" - お
部屋 o-heya "room" - お
父 さん otousan "father" - お
母 さん okaasan "mother" - お
兄 さん oniisan "older brother" - お
姉 さん oneesan "older sister" - お
祖父 さん ojiisan "grandfather" - お
祖母 さん obaasan "grandmother" - お
子 さん o-ko-san "child" - ご
主人 go-shujin "master/husband (of the person who is spoken to)" - ご
飯 go-han "meal or (cooked) rice"
Na-Adjectives
[edit | edit source]- お
元気 o-genki "healthy" - お
好 き o-suki "liked"
I-Adjectives
[edit | edit source]- お
早 い o-hayai "early"
Verbs
[edit | edit source]- お
入 り o-hairi "Please enter." - お
座 り o-suwari "Please sit."