Learn humble language, which you can use when you want to be very formal
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Naomi: なおみです。(Naomi desu.) |
| Peter: Peter here. I Don’t Think This Japanese Restaurant Is That Kind of Place! In this lesson, you'll learn how to use extremely formal language. |
| Naomi: Right. 謙譲語 の使い方です。(Kenjō-go no tsukaikata desu.) |
| Peter: The usage of humble language. This conversation takes place at |
| Naomi: ゴンロクというすし屋です。(Gonkuro to iu sushiya desu.) |
| Peter: A sushi restaurant called GONROKU. The conversation is mainly between Ayumu and a staff member of the restaurant. |
| Naomi: そうですね。歩さんと、お店の人が話しています。(Sō desu ne. Ayumu-san to, o-mise no hito ga hanashite imasu.) |
| Peter: As it's a conversation between a customer and a staff member, you'll hear ... |
| Naomi: とても丁寧な日本語 (totemo teinei na Nihon-go) |
| Peter: extremely formal Japanese. |
| Naomi: では、聞きましょう。(Dewa, kikimashō.) |
| Peter: Let’s listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : もしもし？…え？まだ会社？(Moshimoshi?...E? Mada kaisha?) |
| : じゃ、先に お店に 入るね。(Ja, saki ni o-mise ni hairu ne.) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : いらっしゃいませ。(Irasshaimase.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : こんばんは。(Konbanwa.) |
| : 六時から 二名で 予約を いたしました、遠井と 申します。(Roku-ji kara ni-mei de yoyaku o itashimashita, Tōi to mōshimasu.) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : 申し訳ございません。もう一度、お名前を 伺ってもいいですか。(Mōshiwake gozaimasen. Mō ichi-do, o-namae o ukagatte mo ii desu ka.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : と・お・いです。(TO-O-I desu.) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : 失礼いたしました。遠井様ですね。コートを お預かりします。(Shitsurei itashimashita. Tōi-sama desu ne. Kōto o o-azukari shimasu.) |
| : では、こちらへ どうぞ。(Dewa, kochira e dōzo.) |
| 大空 風歌 (Ōzora Fūka) : あ、お姉ちゃん！(A, o-nee-chan!) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : あなたは、この間の・・・。(Anata wa, kono aida no…) |
| 大空 風歌 (Ōzora Fūka) : 風歌だよ。(Fūka da yo.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : どうしたの？(Dō shita no?) |
| : 今日、パパの お誕生日なの。(Kyō, papa no o-tanjōbi na no.) |
| : だから、みんなで、おすしを 食べているの。(Dakara, minna de, o-sushi o tabete iru no.) |
| : こっちに 来て、お姉ちゃんも 一緒に 食べよう。(Kotchi ni kite, o-nee-chan mo issho ni tabeyō.) |
| Naomi: もう一度、お願いします。今度はゆっくりお願いします。(Mō ichi-do, onegai shimasu. Kondo wa yukkuri onegai shimasu.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : もしもし？…え？まだ会社？(Moshimoshi?...E? Mada kaisha?) |
| : じゃ、先に お店に 入るね。(Ja, saki ni o-mise ni hairu ne.) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : いらっしゃいませ。(Irasshaimase.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : こんばんは。(Konbanwa.) |
| : 六時から 二名で 予約を いたしました、遠井と 申します。(Roku-ji kara ni-mei de yoyaku o itashimashita, Tōi to mōshimasu.) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : 申し訳ございません。もう一度、お名前を 伺ってもいいですか。(Mōshiwake gozaimasen. Mō ichi-do, o-namae o ukagatte mo ii desu ka.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : と・お・いです。(TO-O-I desu.) |
| 店員 (ten’in) : 失礼いたしました。遠井様ですね。コートを お預かりします。(Shitsurei itashimashita. Tōi-sama desu ne. Kōto o o-azukari shimasu.) |
| : では、こちらへ どうぞ。(Dewa, kochira e dōzo.) |
| 大空 風歌 (Ōzora Fūka) : あ、お姉ちゃん！(A, o-nee-chan!) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : あなたは、この間の・・・。(Anata wa, kono aida no…) |
| 大空 風歌 (Ōzora Fūka) : 風歌だよ。(Fūka da yo.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : どうしたの？(Dō shita no?) |
| : 今日、パパの お誕生日なの。(Kyō, papa no o-tanjōbi na no.) |
| : だから、みんなで、おすしを 食べているの。(Dakara, minna de, o-sushi o tabete iru no.) |
| : こっちに 来て、お姉ちゃんも 一緒に 食べよう。(Kotchi ni kite, o-nee-chan mo issho ni tabeyō.) |
| Naomi: 今度は、英語が入ります。(Kondo wa, Eigo ga hairimasu.) |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : もしもし？…え？まだ会社？(Moshimoshi?...E? Mada kaisha?) |
| Hello? Huh? You're still at the office? |
| : じゃ、先に お店に 入るね。(Ja, saki ni o-mise ni hairu ne.) |
| Then I'll go on ahead into the restaurant. |
| 店員 (ten’in) : いらっしゃいませ。(Irasshaimase.) |
| Welcome. |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : こんばんは。六時から 二名で 予約を いたしました、遠井と 申します。(Konbanwa. Roku-ji kara ni-mei de yoyaku o itashimashita, Tōi to mōshimasu.) |
| Good evening. My name is Toi; I made a reservation for two at six o'clock. |
| 店員 (ten’in) : 申し訳ございません。もう一度、お名前を 伺ってもいいですか。(Mōshiwake gozaimasen. Mō ichi-do, o-namae o ukagatte mo ii desu ka.) |
| I'm terribly sorry, could I ask your name one more time? |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : と・お・いです。(TO-O-I desu.) |
| It's T-o-i. |
| 店員 (ten’in) : 失礼いたしました。遠井様ですね。(Shitsurei itashimashita. Tōi-sama desu ne.) |
| Excuse me. Ms. Toi, correct? |
| : コートを お預かりします。(Kōto o o-azukari shimasu.) |
| Allow me to take your coat. |
| : では、こちらへ どうぞ。(Dewa, kochira e dōzo.) |
| This way, please. |
| 大空 風歌 (Ōzora Fūka) : あ、お姉ちゃん！(A, o-nee-chan!) |
| Ah, the lady from before! |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : あなたは、この間の・・・。(Anata wa, kono aida no…) |
| It's you from the other day, you're… |
| 大空 風歌 (Ōzora Fūka) : 風歌だよ。(Fūka da yo.) |
| Fūka! |
| 遠井 歩 (Tōi Ayumu) : どうしたの？(Dō shita no?) |
| What brings you here? |
| 大空 風歌 (Ōzora Fūka) : 今日、パパの お誕生日なの。(Kyō, papa no o-tanjōbi na no.) |
| Today is Daddy's birthday! |
| : だから、みんなで、おすしを 食べているの。(Dakara, minna de, o-sushi o tabete iru no.) |
| So we're all eating sushi together. |
| : こっちに 来て、お姉ちゃんも 一緒に 食べよう。(Kotchi ni kite, o-nee-chan mo issho ni tabeyō.) |
| Come over here and eat with us! |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Peter: 高そうですね。(Takasō desu ne.) |
| Naomi: うん。(Un.) |
| Peter: It sounds like this restaurant is pretty high-end. |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) You can tell from the way the staff member talks. She speaks super politely. |
| Peter: And Ayumu is also speaking super politely, isn't she? |
| Naomi: ああ、そうね。(Ā, sō ne.) |
| Peter: She's a customer, so she doesn't need to speak that polite, right? I mean, if you're a customer your social level is basically higher than any of the staff members, right? |
| Naomi: そうですね。(Sō desu ne.) Technically, you don't have to be that polite at restaurants or shops. But it's more like a matter of dignity, you know. If you speak politely, it sounds like you're well-groomed and educated. If you speak too casually, it sounds...you know. |
| Peter: Maybe...a little rude? |
| Naomi: Or rough. |
| Peter: I like rough better. |
| Naomi: So... I'd say adults often use super polite language to keep their dignity. |
| Peter: You know, ah...I went to a restaurant once, a very nice restaurant and not just one. |
| Naomi: (laugh) |
| Peter: I’ve been to other nice restaurants. But we were in Japan we went to this nice restaurant. And the person we were with was the host, so it was of course, a given that they |
| would order for us. But the person who's ordering was a businessman who worked at a very big Japanese company, so he was very experienced with the different levels, obviously people above him and of course people below him. So when he ordered he used the verb もらう (morau) in the plain form. And.. I don't know for me, it felt like you said a little rough that he was acknowledging that I’m the customer, I'm in a superior position than you, so just bring the stuff. |
| Naomi: Umm.. |
| Peter: Rather make a polite either by saying もらいます (moraimasu) making that polite or saying いただく (itadaku) using the plain form of a more polite word. |
| Naomi: そうね。人によるんですよね。(Sō ne. Hito ni yoru n desu yo ne.) I’d say women tend to use polite language at shops or restaurants, but men tend to, you know, be a little rough to show that they are above the staff. Does it make sense? |
| Peter: Ye, make sense. And again you're not wrong. It's just as Naomi-sensei said it can come off as being a little rough. And of course there are some people who like that being with someone who expresses their kinda dominant position. |
| Naomi: そうね。(Sō ne.) |
| Peter: Not wrong, we’re just trying to introduce you to the subtleties. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Peter: Let's take a look at the vocabulary for this lesson. |
| The first word is: |
| 先に (saki ni) [natural native speed] |
| ahead, first |
| 先に (saki ni) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 先に (saki ni) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 伺う (ukagau) [natural native speed] |
| (humble language) to visit, to ask |
| 伺う (ukagau) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 伺う (ukagau) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| いたす (itasu) [natural native speed] |
| (humble language) to do |
| いたす (itasu) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| いたす (itasu) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| 預かる (azukaru) [natural native speed] |
| to look after, to keep in custody, to keep |
| 預かる (azukaru) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| 預かる (azukaru) [natural native speed] |
| Next: |
| この間 (kono aida) [natural native speed] |
| the other day |
| この間 (kono aida) [slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| この間 (kono aida) [natural native speed] |
| VOCAB AND PHRASE USAGE |
| Peter: Let's have a closer look at the usage for some of the words and phrases from this lesson. Naomi-sensei. What’s the first word we are going to look at? |
| Naomi: いたす (itasu) |
| Peter: Humble language, or the humble way to say "to do". |
| Naomi: そうです。(Sō desu.) する (suru) and いたす (itasu) basically mean the same thing. It's just that いたす (itasu) is super polite and is used to describe your own actions. |
| Peter: Let us explain with some examples. How do you say "excuse me"? |
| Naomi: 失礼します (shitsurei shimasu) |
| Peter: Now this sentence is already formal. But when you need to be even more polite, replace |
| Naomi: します (shimasu) |
| Peter: with |
| Naomi: いたします (itashimasu) |
| Peter: which is the masu-form of the verb |
| Naomi: いたす (itasu) |
| Peter: So the expression becomes? |
| Naomi: 失礼いたします。(Shitsurei itashimasu.) |
| Peter: This means "excuse me" in a politer tone. Maybe something like "excuse me, ma'am" or "excuse me, sir." |
| Naomi: うん、そうですね。(Un, sō desu ne.) And in the dialogue we have… 失礼いたしました。(Shitsurei itashimashita.) |
| Peter: “Excuse me, sir.” “Excuse me, ma'am.” |
| Naomi: いたしました (itashimashita) is in the past tense. |
| Peter: Right. When you want to say "excuse me" for something you've already done, the past tense is used. |
| Naomi: うん。 (Un.) |
| Peter: OK. Can we hear those phrases again? The regular, formal way to say "excuse me"? |
| Naomi: 失礼します (shitsurei shimasu) |
| Peter: And the super extremely polite way to say "excuse me". |
| Naomi: 失礼いたします (shitsurei itashimasu) |
| Peter: The formal way to say "excuse me" for something you've already done. |
| Naomi: 失礼しました (shitsurei shimashita) |
| Peter: The super polite way to say "excuse me" for something you've already done. |
| Naomi: 失礼いたしました (shitsurei itashimashita) |
| Peter: On to the grammar point. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Peter: In this lesson, you'll learn how to be extra formal, extremely formal, using 謙譲語 (kenjō-go) or humble language. So Naomi-sensei, what is 謙譲語 (kenjō-go), or humble language? |
| Naomi: Well...when you use 謙譲語 (kenjō-go) or humble language, you elevate the status of the listening party and lower your own status. It's like a seesaw or classic scale balance. You use it to describe your own actions. |
| Peter: Right. Remember that the basic function of 謙譲語 (kenjō-go) is to lower the status of the subject, so it's usually used to describe your own actions. |
| Naomi: そうです。(Sō desu.) The concept is a little difficult but forming the humble form of a verb is not so bad. The formation is ... “お (o) ＋[masu-stem of a verb] ＋する (suru) or します (shimasu)”. |
| Peter: Now this is for the majority of the verbs when you want to put them into 謙譲語 (kenjō-go). There are a couple of unusual cases and rare cases exceptions which we actually introduced. But what we're gonna cover now is the general rule for using humble language. Okay? Let's try to make a regular verb into the humble form. Naomi-sensei. How do you say "to hold”, or “to have"? |
| Naomi: 持つ (motsu) |
| Peter: The masu-form? |
| Naomi: 持ちます (mochimasu) |
| Peter: Now, drop ます (masu) to get the masu-stem |
| Naomi: 持ち (mochi) |
| Peter: Now, add to the beginning, the honorific prefix お (o) |
| Naomi: お持ち (o-mochi) |
| Peter: Finally we attach? |
| Naomi: する (suru) |
| Peter: And we get? |
| Naomi: お持ちする (o-mochi suru). Here's a sample sentence. かばん、お持ちします。(Kaban, o-mochi shimasu.) |
| Peter: Literally,"I'll have your bag", but it means "I'll take or carry your bag." |
| Let's do another example. How do you say "to meet"? |
| Naomi: 会う (au) |
| Peter: The masu-form is? |
| Naomi: 会います (aimasu) |
| Peter: The masu-stem is |
| Naomi: 会い (ai) |
| Peter: Add the honorific prefix お (o) to the beginning of it |
| Naomi: お会い (o-ai) |
| Peter: Now attach する (suru) |
| Naomi: お会いする (o-ai suru). Here's a sample sentence. 昨日お客さんとお会いしました。(Kinō o-kyaku-san to o-ai shimashita.) |
| Peter: “I met with a client yesterday.” Now, as we kind of set before, not all verbs have their own humble form. Some of them, like する (suru) changes to a different verb. |
| Naomi: Yes, like いたす (itasu). |
| Peter: Okay finally I want to give you one more example and you've actually been using 謙譲語 (kenjō-go) for probably since you started studying Japanese. Naomi-sensei, do you know what I’m talking about? |
| Naomi: Ahh.. You mean お願いします (onegai shimasu)? |
| Peter: That’s right. It's taught to you as a set phrase but it really comes from this. The verb is..? |
| Naomi: 願う (negau), “to wish” |
| Peter: the masu-tem is..? |
| Naomi: 願います (negaimasu) |
| Peter: Drop the ます (masu)? |
| Naomi: 願い (negai) |
| Peter: attach the honorific prefix..? |
| Naomi: お願い (o-negai) |
| Peter: And then we add |
| Naomi: する (suru) |
| Peter: And the polite form is..? |
| Naomi: します (shimasu). お願いします。(O-negai shimasu.) |
| Peter: So the expression that we’ve been using over and over again is actually humble language. |
| Naomi: Hmm. |
| Peter: 謙譲語 (kenjō-go). OK. Let's review this lesson with a quiz. |
| Naomi: Sounds good. |
| Peter: How do you say "I talked with the client"? |
| Naomi: 私は、お客さんと話しました。(Watashi wa, o-kyaku-san to hanashimashita.) |
| Peter: Now, how would you say it in a humble manner? |
| [pause] Here's a hint. The humble form of 話す (hanasu), “to speak” is |
| Nomi: お話する (o-hanashi suru) |
| Peter: [pause] And the answer is? |
| Naomi: 私はお客さんとお話しました。(Watashi wa o-kyaku-san to o-hanashi shimashita.) |
| Peter: “I humbly spoke with the client.” Now, listen and repeat. "I humbly spoke with the client." |
| Naomi: 私はお客さんとお話しました。(Watashi wa o-kyaku-san to o-hanashi shimashita.) |
| Peter: [pause] OK. Say "I humbly spoke with the client." |
| Naomi: [pause] 私はお客さんとお話しました。(Watashi wa o-kyaku-san to o-hanashi shimashita.) |
| Peter: And finally, one of the most difficult things about 謙譲語 (kenjō-go) and 敬語 (kei-go), humble and honorific speeches is when when exactly to use it. |
| Naomi: Hmm. |
| Peter: Right now, you’d probably hear this much more than you’d use it. And you'll hear it when you are the customer at restaurants, hotels or any type of shop. So if you would have a chance for now, listen and try and pick up the humble language you hear that the staff is using towards you. At this time when they're speaking, they are lowering their status. And at the same time, probably saying something to elevate yours. |
| OK.That's all for this lesson. We only introduced the regular humble form of a verb. But there are also irregular ones, so be sure to read the lesson notes and memorize all the irregular verbs as well. |
| Naomi: 頑張ってください。じゃ、また。(Ganbatte kudasai. Ja, mata.) |
| Peter: See you next lesson. |
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