Latest Japanese Honorifics Lessons and Posts
Browse the latest lessons on Japanese honorifics, keigo, and polite Japanese,
plus articles on other Japanese language and culture topics.
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Learn what double honorifics in Japanese are, why forms like お飲みになられる sound wrong, and how to make respectful potential forms correctly.
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Bonus: The Two Mora Rule in Japanese Honorifics
Learn the two mora rule in Japanese honorifics, when the adding form works, and why some verbs need replacing forms instead.
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Bonus: Prestige and Tone in Japanese
Learn how wago and kango change tone in Japanese, and why kango often sounds more formal while wago feels warmer and more everyday.
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Business Japanese—(ra)reru Verbs
This lesson explains how (ra)reru verbs work across godan, ichidan, 来る, and する, with simple examples to help you understand passive, respectful, and potential meanings.
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New Lesson – The Two Mora Rule
In this lesson, find out all you need to know about mora and the role they play in making adding forms.
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New Lesson – Making Adding Verbs
In this short lesson, you’ll learn how to make respectful adding verbs with wago and kango words!
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New Lesson – Prestige and Tone in Japanese
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to control the level of formality and friendliness using native Japanese words and Sino-Japanese words.
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New Lesson – Distinguishing Native Words and Sino-Japanese Words
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to identify wago (native Japanese words) and kango (Sino-Japanese words) with ease! Essential for building honorifics and controlling how formal your Japanese sounds.
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New Lesson – Respectful Directional Verbs
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use the respectful directional verb kudasaru to show social relationships, group identity, and who gets the benefit of an action.
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New Lesson – Replacing Verbs in the Auxiliary Position
Learn how helper verbs tag onto main verbs, which auxiliary verbs can be “respect-boosted,” and how to use the most common patterns.