Japanese Respectful Language (Sonkeigo)

Learn how sonkeigo works in Japanese, from respectful verbs and patterns to common mistakes and real usage.

Start here before the full sonkeigo course:

Sonkeigo makes a lot more sense once you already understand how Japanese honorifics work as a system.

These quick intro lessons give you the big picture first, so the rest of the course feels clearer, less jargon-heavy, and way less like information overload.

○ Japanese Honorifics Foreword | How to Think About Keigo

○ How Japanese Honorifics Work

After these, the next two lessons show how sonkeigo and kenjougo belong to the same branch of Japanese honorifics: referent honorifics. They also introduce one of the biggest ideas behind sonkeigo and kenjougo—who is being honoured, and why context changes everything.

○ Introduction to Japanese Referent Honorifics

○ Contextual Factors That Control Referent Honorifics

If you want a quick reference to all the respectful forms or vocabulary covered, use the following two links.

○ Japanese Honorific Verbs (Sonkeigo) — Complete List

○ Japanese Honorific Nouns, Adjectives, and Adverbs (Sonkeigo) — Complete List