Honorific Basics

Introducing Distance

By コトバ君 ・ Japanese Honorifics ・ ~6 min read

At their core, honorifics indicate distance.

This distance is social, showing the relationship between people in a given moment. Distance is created between the speaker and:

○ the listener, and/or

○ the person being talked about.

From this core idea of distance, other social meanings emerge.

There are two main types:

○ Horizontal distance

○ Vertical distance

Each type of distance creates social meanings not shared by the other and each type of distance has its own honorific forms (words and phrases to make this distance).

Horizontal Distance

Horizontal distance is psychological. It reflects the degree of closeness the speaker creates between:

○ themselves and the listener.

The honorifics that create this kind of distance are called addressee honorifics, because the distance is directed at the addressee.

The person being addressed.

Vertical Distance

Vertical distance is hierarchical. It reflects the status difference the speaker creates between:

○ themselves and the addressee, or

○ themselves and the referent (a person being talked about).

The honorifics that create this kind of distance are called referent honorifics, because the distance is directed towards the referent.

Now, let’s get more specific.

A student, Ken, is talking to his teacher Mr. White. Ken says:

“Mr. White are you going to the graduation ceremony?
I hear Ms. Brown is going.”

If Ken uses honorifics about Mr. White, he is addressing the person he is talking to.

If Ken uses honorifics about Ms. Brown, he is using them about the person being talked about.

In terms of distance:

○ Mr. White is the addressee, and Ms. Brown is the referent.

In other words:

Addressee honorifics are used about the addressee (listener).

Referent honorifics are used about the referent (the person being talked about).

Another point to be aware of is this:

In Japanese, addressee honorifics are the polite “desu/masu” endings.

Referent honorifics are the “special” words (like irasshaimasu, meshiagaru, etc.)

Yet, this distinction isn’t always simple.

When you hear a special word, it’s easy: if you aren’t the person being talked about, it can’t be an addressee honorific.

But “desu/masu” endings don’t work like this.

If Ken says “Mr White are you going?” – the “are you” has to be addressed to the listener.

But if he says “Ms Brown is going” – this is not to the listener.

It is about the referent.

But “Ms. Brown is going” can still end in “desu”.

In this case, “desu” is affecting referent distance.

In practice, you can think of “desu/masu” as expressing social meanings for whoever holds the focus or “topic” role in a given phrase.

A common feature in language is that verbs often describe actions, but they can also be used to describe states and feelings. When a speaker uses a verb, the action, state, or feeling will have an owner and that owner is the referent.

For example:

Ms. Brown is going. (action)

She feels it’s her duty to go. (state)

Distance Is Dynamic

Distance can vary in subtle ways, not just based on fixed categories like age, power, or social rank.

If we use a form that creates distance, it might indicate that:

○ we feel distant,

○ we want to make distance.

In other words, it might reflect emotional closeness rather than status.

For example, horizontal distance can change based on how the speaker feels about:

○ the listener

○ the topic

○ and the context

Some examples:

○ feeling anger towards the listener can create more distance.

○ feeling empathy can reduce distance.

○ being asked an overly personal question can create distance.

Horizontal distance can feel like a scale of closeness:

○ less distance = familiar, personal

○ more distance = aloof, impersonal

If you’ve met someone who asked you something too personal, too soon, you probably felt they didn’t respect the distance you thought appropriate.

In Japanese culture, a certain amount of distance is considered polite, especially before a close relationship has formed.

This expectation that polite language encodes distance is one reason why polite language is often associated with politeness.

Vertical distance is also dynamic.

It’s what most people think of when they think about Japanese honorifics: status differences based on things like:

○ age

○ power

○ seniority

Vertical relationships exist in many places:

○ with older friends

○ with relatives

○ with strangers (where status is clear from appearance or role)

○ in the workplace (based on rank or years of service)

In fact, most relationships contain some hierarchy, except perhaps between:

○ romantic partners

○ and twins.

Even colleagues who enter a company at the same time often use age to establish who is “higher.”

In most cases, this hierarchy shows up in language in:

○ address terms, and

○ honorific language.

But this vertical distance can also be repurposed:

○ for comedy

○ for irony

○ and even for anger or contempt.

Setting those aside, in most cases vertical distance expresses the speaker’s situational respect for a referent:

Respect for someone who is judged to warrant respect in that situation – not necessarily someone the speaker personally respects.

In English, this is like a service worker using phrases like:

○ “sir” or “I beg your pardon?”

○ These reflect role-based hierarchy, not personal feelings.

The same applies to:

○ bosses and employees

○ CEOs and staff

The hierarchy lives in the context (the job or organisation), not in the person as a human being.

This is why “social status” is often more useful than “hierarchy” as a label.

As society becomes more egalitarian, honorifics that express horizontal distance have become more prominent than those expressing pure vertical distance.

This is supported by research, showing a rapid decline in the use of referent honorifics in Japanese society.

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