Learn the adding form pattern: お／ご + base + に + なる, with clear wago and kango examples.

Japanese Respectful Verbs: How the Adding Form Works

~3 min read

The Four Parts

Adding verbs are a common way to turn plain verbs into honorifics, especially when there isn’t a special replacing form.

Unlike replacing forms, the adding form does not swap the whole verb out for a new one.

Instead, it adds extra parts onto the original verb.

No matter whether the original plain verb is wago or kango, the pattern is the same:

These four parts are:

○ the honorific prefix 御ご / お

— read 御 as お before wago

— read 御 as ご before kango

○ the base

○ the particle に

○ the verb なる (“to become”)

Key takeaway: respectful adding forms have four parts — Honorific prefix + base + に + なる

Step 1: Decide Whether the Verb Is Wago or Kango

Before you can build the adding form, you need to know whether the plain verb is wago or kango.

If you don’t know how to do this, check the previous lesson here.

That matters because the first two parts of the pattern change depending on the type of verb:

○ the prefix will be read as お or ご

○ the way you make the base will be different

Wago Example: 読むよむ → お読みになるおよみになる

Let’s turn the wago verb 読むよむ (“to read”) into the adding form.

First, we need the base.

For wago verbs, the base is a noun-like form derived from the verb.

A simple way to get it is:

○ 1. put the verb into the ます-form

○ 2. remove ます

So:

○ 読みますよみます

○ remove ます

○ base = 読みよみ

Now add the rest of the pattern:

○ お + 読みよみ + に + なる

That gives us:

So 読むよむ becomes the honorific form お読みになるおよみになる.

One nice thing about the adding form is that the core meaning is often easy to recognise, because the original verb is still visible inside the base.

Kango Example: 連絡するれんらくする → ご連絡になるごれんらくになる

Now let’s do the same with a kango verb:

連絡するれんらくする (“to contact”)

The overall pattern is still the same, but the first two parts work a little differently.

First, make the base.

For kango verbs, the base is the kango noun itself.

To get it:

○ 1. start with the plain する verb

○ 2. remove する

So:

○ 連絡するれんらくする

○ remove する

○ base = 連絡れんらく

Then add the rest:

○ ご + 連絡れんらく + に + なるなる

That gives us:

So 連絡するれんらくする becomes the honorific form ご連絡になるごれんらくになる.

The Adding Form — Helpful but Not Perfect

The adding form is extremely useful because it lets you turn many plain verbs into honorifics without needing a special replacing form.

That said, not every plain verb can use it.

Example:

○ 運転するうんてんする “to drive” (P^-1)

○ ご運転になりますごうんてんになります “to drive” (P⁺¹)

This form is not possible.

The key is the honorific prefix.

Some words sound natural with 御ご / お, and some do not.

If a word does not naturally take the prefix, then you cannot use the adding form. (Annoying, I know.)

Don’t panic: you do not need to memorise every exception at once.

Try using verbs you have actually heard in real life.

Or, if you’re in a pickle, ask Google.

Simply paste an expression like ご説明になりますごせつめいになります into the search bar and see whether it appears on any Japanese websites.